Micronutrients and HIV infection: a review.

Abstract

Malnutrition is a cardinal clinical manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) but even early asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infection may lead to impaired nutritional status. However impaired nutritional status is not only a characteristic of HIV/AIDS in parallel to immunodeficiency. Micronutrient deficiencies may impair host immunonefunctions and affect viral replication and pathogenicity thus potentially affecting transmission and clinical course of infection. Therefore improved nutrition may play a role in sexual and mother-to-child HIV transmission progression of HIV to AIDS as well as mortality from AIDS. Although dietary counselling or provision of an optimal diet is important in the case management of HIV patients this is generally not an option in developing countries harbouring the vast majority of the worlds HIV infected individuals. In developing countries however micronutrient supplementation via the primary health care system to high-risk populations may be an operationally feasible and affordable public health measure. This paper reviews the literature on micronutrients and HIV infection and discusses the potential role of increased micronutrient intake as a measure to reduce HIV transmission and progression. (excerpt)