Low serum albumin and the acute phase response predict low serum selenium in HIV-1 infected women.
BACKGROUND
Low serum selenium has been associated with lower CD4 counts and greater mortality among HIV-1-seropositive individuals, but most studies have not controlled for serum albumin and the presence of an acute phase response.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate relationships between serum selenium concentrations and CD4 count, plasma viral load, serum albumin, and acute phase response markers among 400 HIV-1-seropositive women.


RESULTS
In univariate analyses, lower CD4 count, higher plasma viral load, lower albumin, and the presence of an acute phase response were each significantly associated with lower serum selenium concentrations. In multivariate analyses including all four of these covariates, only albumin remained significantly associated with serum selenium. For each 0.1 g/dl increase in serum albumin, serum selenium increased by 0.8 microg/l (p < 0.001). Women with an acute phase response also had lower serum selenium (by 5.6 microg/l, p = 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum selenium was independently associated with serum albumin, but not with CD4 count or plasma viral load, in HIV-1-seropositive women. Our findings suggest that associations between lower serum selenium, lower CD4 count, and higher plasma viral load may be related to the frequent occurrence of low serum albumin and the acute phase response among individuals with more advanced HIV-1 infection.
Drain
Paul K
PK
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific, A-300 Health Sciences, Box 356340, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. pkdrain@u.washington.edu
Baeten
Jared M
JM
Overbaugh
Julie
J
Wener
Mark H
MH
Bankson
Daniel D
DD
Lavreys
Ludo
L
Mandaliya
Kishorchandra
K
Ndinya-Achola
Jeckoniah O
JO
McClelland
R Scott
RS
D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*
D012367:RNA, Viral; D012709:Serum Albumin; D012643:Selenium