A longer time of exposure to antiretroviral therapy improves selenium levels

Summary Background & aims Selenium is an essential mineral for immunological function, performing crucial functions at the cellular level. This micronutrient has been determined to be frequently deficient in HIV infected patients, with correlations between reduced immunological function and greater susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of time of exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the biochemical profile of selenium in HIV-infected patients. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study on 50 HIV-positive men with different quantitations of viral load and CD4+ T cells, who were either receiving or not receiving ART. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to determine body composition, biochemical analysis of selenium and albumin, anthropometric measurements were performed. The subjects were divided into groups according to the use of ART or not: The Control Group (CG) was 10 treatment-naive volunteers, Group G   2 was 20 volunteers on ART for >2 years. Results The body mass index showed that all subjects were of normal weight. The group with a longer time of exposure to ART (G > 2) had undetectable viremia and a higher CD4+ T cell count: 593.1 ± 234.6 mm 3 . Selenium values (μg/L) were 55.9 ± 11.9 for CG, 52.1 ± 10.5 for G   2, with a significant difference between groups G   2 ( p  2 showed normal selenium values. Conclusions Most of the men studied showed selenium deficiency, except for the subjects with a longer exposure to antiretroviral treatment. Thus, an adequate selenium concentration is related to better control of virology and of immunologic function.