SERUM VITAMIN-E DECREASES IN HIV-SEROPOSITIVE SUBJECTS OVER TIME

Vitamin E is an important lipid soluble antioxidant that has a number of crucial functions including protecting lipids from oxidative damage . It also may play an important role in enhancing the immune response in subjects with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The cur rent study measured the serum level of vitamin E in 121 HIV seropositi ve subjects with no prior pulmonary complications. Although the mean l evel was normal at 9.0 +/- 0.5 mu g/ml, 22.3% of the subjects had a de ficient level of less than 5 mu g/ml. In addition, 42 subjects were st udied longitudinally and serum vitamin E levels were determined at bas eline and 12 months later. The mean serum vitamin E level in this grou p significantly decreased after 12 months compared with baseline level s (5.9 +/- 0.5 mu g/ml compared with 9.6 +/- 0.9 mu g/ml, p = 0.001). The CD4 counts also were significantly decreased after 12 months (460. 6 +/- 36.0 cells/mm(3) versus 390.5 +/- 37.7 cells/mm(3), p = 0.032). No significant correlations were observed between the decrease in seru m vitamin E and the change in CD4 count, body mass index (BMI), or ser um albumin levels over the 12-month period. In conclusion, a significa nt portion of HIV-seropositive subjects have a deficiency in serum vit amin E early in the course of their disease. Furthermore, there is a s ignificant decrease in serum vitamin E levels in these subjects over 1 2 months.