Selenium deficiency in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Severe protein-calorie malnutrition is common in patients with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). These nutritional deficits are likely to further impair immune responses and other organ functions vital for recovery from serious infectious diseases. Since selenium deficiency is known to be associated with oral candidiasis and abnormal phagocytic function in animals and depressed helper T-cell numbers in man, we evaluated both selenium status and other nutritional parameters in 12 patients with AIDS compared to 27 healthy controls. Selenium was measured by a spectrofluorometric method. The mean (+/- SD) plasma selenium level in AIDS was 0.043 +/- 0.01 microgram/ml vs 0.095 +/- 0.016 microgram/ml in controls (p less than 0.001). Whole blood selenium and red blood cell selenium levels were also significantly reduced in AIDS (p less than 0.005). The mean weight loss in AIDS patients was 35.5 +/- 21.2 pounds. Serum albumin was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower in AIDS patients compared to controls. A good correlation between serum albumin and plasma selenium was noted (r = 0.77; p less than 0.001). We conclude that selenium deficiency is a common component of the malnutrition seen in AIDS patients. Therefore, aggressive nutritional support, including attention to selenium status, should be considered an integral part of the therapy of AIDS patients.