Association Between Serum Selenium and Serum C-Reactive Protein Concentrations in Persons Infected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Abstract

ObjectivesChronic inflammation and selenium deficiency are common in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Both C-reactive protein, a pro-inflammatory biomarker, and selenium deficiency have been associated with accelerated disease progression and poorer survival among persons infected with HIV-infection. However, research on the role of serum selenium levels in inflammation is limited. We assessed the association between serum selenium levels and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations in a cohort of persons infected with HIV. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 233 HIV-infected persons (124 men and 109 women) aged 18–60 years who were residing in Kathmandu, Nepal. Regular serum CRP and selenium concentrations were measured by the latex agglutination turbidimetric and the atomic absorption method, respectively. Relationships were assessed using multiple linear regression analysis to adjust for potential confounding factors including sociodemographic, smoking, body mass index, chronic diseases, CD4+ T-cell count, and anti-retroviral therapy. ResultsThe geometric means of serum selenium and CRP concentrations were 9.65 μg/dL and 1.43 mg/L, respectively. Mean serum CRP concentration was significantly decreased with increasing serum selenium concentration across selenium tertiles (P for trend = 0.019), with mean serum CRP concentration in the highest tertile of serum selenium concentration was 40.8% lower than that in the lowest tertile. We found a significant inverse relation between log selenium and log CRP concentrations (beta for 1 unit change in log selenium; β = –1.01, p = 0.06). ConclusionsSerum selenium levels may be inversely associated with serum CRP concentrations in persons infected with HIV. Further prospective study to confirm the role of serum selenium levels in inflammation among persons infected with HIV is warranted. Funding SourcesUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst.