The impacts of first line highly active antiretroviraltherapy on serum selenium, cd4 count and body mass index: a short cross sectional and prospective study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The relationship that exists between body weights, serum selenium and immunological markers of HIV/AIDS continue to provoke more researches in the recent times. The objectives of this study were to examine baseline body mass index, CD4 count and serum selenium and to prospectively assess the impacts of HAART on same parameters 48 weeks post HAART among HIV patients. METHODS: A cohort comprising 140 newly diagnosed HIV positive were prospectively studied. Anthropometric measurements, serum selenium and CD4 count were assessed at diagnosis and 48 weeks post HAART. RESULTS: The mean age for patients was 35-8.8 years; 68% was female. Patients mean weight was56.79-10.22kg, BMI; 21.59-3.53, serum selenium; 0.55 0.45mol/L and CD4 count; 288.36 -232.23 at the baseline. At diagnosis, 47 (33.6%) were in stage 1, 49 (35.0%) in stage 2, 26 (18.6%) and 18 (12.9%) were in stage 3 and 4 respectively. Similarly, most patients had normal weight, 94 (67.14%), 26 (18.57%) were underweight, (12.86%) were overweight and two (1.43%) were obese at diagnosis. At 48 weeks post HAART, the mean weight, BMI, serum selenium and CD4 count were significantly increased (p=0.001), with a pair mean difference of -6.15kg, -2.34, -0.57 ?mol/L and -144 cells/mm3for weight, BMI, serum selenium and CD4 count respectively. At baseline, obesity was beneficial, and associated with robust CD4 count (p=0.001) but with lower selenium. (p=0.170). However, post HAART overweight was detrimental to CD4 count reconstitution (p=0.290) and selenium repletion (p=0.320) post HAART. CONCLUSION: HAART repleted CD4 count and serum selenium, Post HAART overweight was associated with lesser CD4 count reconstitution and selenium repletion. A renew call for weight monitoring in HAART era.

Keywords

• hiv/aids
• selenium
• cd4 count
• bmi
• haart