Title:Serum Vitamin D Concentration and Potential Risk Factors for its Deficiency in HIV Positive Individuals
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Author(s): Maryam Etminani-Esfahani, Hossein Khalili, Nahid Soleimani, Sirous Jafari, Alireza Abdollahi, Zahra Khazaeipour and Kheirollah Gholami
Affiliation:
Keywords:
HIV, Risk factors, Vitamin D
Abstract:
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals are prone to malnutrition, and deficiencies of some
minerals and vitamins. The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of vitamin D deficiency and determine the
possible risk factors associated with this problem in HIV-infected individuals.
This cross-sectional study was performed on 98 adult patients referred to the Emam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran,
Iran. The patients’ serum vitamin D concentration was determined using radioimmunoassay method. The possible
correlations between demographic and clinical data with the level of vitamin D were evaluated. Vitamin D levels less than
35 nmol/l were considered as deficient in this study.
Eighty-five (86.7%) of the patients had serum vitamin D deficiency (concentrations less than 35 nmol/l) in this study. Coinfection
with hepatitis C virus (HCV) was present in 54 (55.1%) of the patients. Only daily intake of vitamin D (r=0.304,
p=0.002), duration of sun exposure (r=0.268, p=0.009), the level of PTH (r=-0.459, p<0.001), daily intake of calcium
(r=0.239, p=0.018) and GFR of more than 90 ml/min (OR=1.208, CI 95%= 1.080-1.350, p=0.033) had a correlation with
serum vitamin D concentration. Being female (OR=7.224, CI 95%= 3.640-14.335, p<0.001), unemployed (OR= 1.627, CI
95%=1.209-2.190, p<0.001) and infected with HCV (OR= 1.811, CI 95%= 1.331-2.465, p<0.001) were related to the
severe serum vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem in Iranian HIV-infected patients and with concern of this vitamin’s important
role in health issues, early evaluation of its status and providing appropriate nutritional support seems to be important.
