Effects of selenium supplementation on pregnancy outcomes and disease progression in HIV‐infected pregnant women in Lagos: A randomised controlled trial

Objective To examine the effects of selenium supplementation on pregnancy outcomes and disease progression among HIV-infected pregnant women in Lagos. Methods A randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted among HIV-positive pregnant women between September 2018 and August 2019. At enrolment, 90 women were randomly assigned into each treatment arm to receive either a daily tablet of 200μg elemental selenium or a placebo. Relevant participants' sociodemographic and clinical data were collected at enrolment and delivery. Results Women in the selenium arm had a significantly lower risk of preterm delivery (relative risk, 0.32; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.11 to 0.96) and a non-significant reduction in the risk of delivering term neonates with a low delivery weight (relative risk, 0.24; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.05 to 1.19). Supplemental selenium does not increase the risk of perinatal death and adverse drug events. Conclusion The study reported a beneficial effect of antenatal selenium supplements on the risk of preterm delivery with no further reduction in risk among HIV-infected women who used the supplements for more than 14 weeks duration.