HIV and other predictors of serum beta-carotene and retinol in pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in Zimbabwe

Background: Vitamin A status during pregnancy is important to maternal and infant health. Objective: Our goal was to identify predictors of serum p-carotene and reti nol. Design: This was a cross-sectional study of 1669 women (22-35 wk of gestati on) in Harare, Zimbabwe, who were receiving prenatal care. The statistical effects of age, season, gestational age, gravidity, HIV-1 infection, malari a parasitemia, and serum ol,-antichymotrypsin (ACT) on serum p-carotene (lo g,, transformed) and retinol were estimated by using multiple Linear regres sion analyses. Results: HIV infection was found in 31.5% of the women; 0.4% had malaria. S erum p-carotene concentrations (geometric x: 0.19 mu mol/L) were lower in H IV-infected women than in uninfected women (10(beta) = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.84) and increased with age (10(beta) = 1.05; 1.02, 1.07) in,gravida 1 but not in gravida greater than or equal to2 (P for interaction = 0.00002). Se rum retinol ((x) over bar: 0.92 mu mol/L) increased with age (p = 0.004; 0. 0001, 0.008) in uninfected women but not in HIV-infected women (P for inter action = 0.02) and was 0.05-mu mol/L (0.02, 0.09) lower in HIV-infected wom en than in uninfected women at 24 y of age. Furthermore, gestational age, s eason, use of prenatal supplements, and malaria were predictors of serum p- carotene. Serum retinol was lower in women carrying male (P = -0.04; -0.08, -0.00005) and multiple (P = -0.21; -0.35, -0.08) fetuses. Serum ACT concen trations of 0.3-0.4, 0.4-0.5, and >0.5 g/L were associated with 3%, 11%, an d 44% lower serum p-carotene and 0.04-, 0.15-, and 0.41-mu mol/L lower seru m retinol. Serum ACT (g/L) was higher in women with malaria than in those w ithout (p = 0.10; 0.03, 0.16) and in,gravida 1 than in gravida greater than or equal to2 (p = 0.012; 0.003, 0.021), but was not higher in HIV-infected women than in uninfected women (P = 0.001: -0.008, 0.011). Conclusions: HIV infection, malaria, gravidity, and gestational age were pr edictors of serum p-carotene and retinol. Serum ACT was an important predic tor of both and was associated with gravidity and gestational age.