RESUMO
BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS may lead to micronutrient deficiencies and low CD4+ count. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the correlation of CD4+ count in antiretroviral-naïve patients with the serum levels of micronutrients as measures of the relationship between immunity and nutrition/malnutrition. METHODS: A case-control study of ninety consecutive newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients and ninety blood donors. Blood collected from controls and patients before HAART treatment were assayed for serum zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, and magnesium. RESULTS: The participants had non-significantly lower zinc (14.25±2.93µmol/l versus 14.58±3.69µmol/l, p=0.493), significantly lower selenium (0.38±0.08µmol/l versus 0.78±0.22µmol/l, p<0.001), manganese (7.06±0.87µmol/l versus 11.23±3.27µmol/l, p<0.001), and magnesium (1.02±0.21mmol/l versus 1.21±0.28mmol/l, p<0.001) when compared with the controls. The mean copper level was similar in both groups (18.88±3.1µmol/l and 18.82±5.12µmol/l, p=0.921). There was no correlation between the micronutrients and CD4+ count; however, there were strong positive correlations between the levels of zinc and copper, selenium, magnesium; copper and magnesium (p<0.001 respectively). Multivariate regression showed that all micronutrients were independent predictors of one another (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: HIV/AIDS results in serum micronutrient depletion with strong positive correlations between their levels; all micronutrients were independent predictors of one another. This significant positive relationships between the micronutrients, and magnesium; and all other micronutrients being independent predictors of each other signifies a synergistic or supportive relationship between micronutrient deficiencies and HIV/AIDS disease morbidity and progression. Serum micronutrients may not be qualified as direct markers or surrogates for CD4+ count in antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected patients.
