Frequency deficiencies in trace elements and correlations with the degree of immunosuppression in people living with HIV in Cotonou (Benin)

The micronutrient deficiencies are a form of malnutrition detrimental to the success of antiretroviral therapy. In order to assess the frequency of deficiencies in some trace elements among People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Cotonou and their correlation with the degree of immunosuppression, a cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2012. 93 patients aged of 37.56 years were interviewed and subjected to laboratory analysis. Chi2 test allowed the statistical comparison of frequencies at significance level of 5%. The results showed 31.87% of low zinc content, 26.37% of hypo plasma copper and 46.43% deficit in serum iron. Zinc deficiency has been accompanied in 65.55% of cases of copper deficiency. Unlike iron, zinc and copper deficiency have not varied by gender. HIV positive with a CD4 count ≤ 200 cells / μL (group G4) are significantly affected by zinc deficiency (p = 0.008) and copper (p = 0.043) compared to those with CD4> 200 cells / uL (G3). Indeed, 51.85% of low zinc content in G4 against 23.44% in G3 was noted while 40.74% in plasma copper (G4) was noted against 20.31% in G3. But these correlations proved with a threshold of 200 CD4/μL were not observed when considering the reference of 350 CD4/μL. For iron, the differences observed between G4 (53.84%) and G3 (41.37%), and between G2 (51.11%) and G1 (38.46%) were not statistically significant (p = 0.245 and 0.289 respectively). These results suggest that it is imperative to improve the nutritional status of PLHIV including food supplements rich in trace elements.