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Objective: To examine the effects of selenium supplementation on pregnancy outcomes and disease progression among HIV-infected pregnant women in Lagos., Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted among HIV-positive pregnant women between September 2018 and August 2019. At enrollment, 90 women were randomly assigned into each treatment arm to receive either a daily tablet of 200 μg elemental selenium or a placebo. Relevant participants' sociodemographic and clinical data were collected at enrollment and delivery., Results: Women in the selenium arm had a significantly lower risk of preterm delivery (relative risk [RR] 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11-0.96) and a non-significant reduction in the risk of delivering term neonates with a low delivery weight (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.05-1.19). Supplemental selenium does not increase the risk of perinatal death and adverse drug events., Conclusion: The study reported a beneficial effect of prenatal selenium supplements on the risk of preterm delivery with no further reduction in risk among HIV-infected women who used the supplements for more than 14 weeks., Trial Registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201809756724274)., (© 2020 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of maternal selenium deficiency and its effects on pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with HIV in Lagos, Nigeria., Methods: The present descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled women aged 15-49 years with HIV who were at 14-26 weeks of a singleton pregnancy and were attending Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, between August 1, 2016, and April 30, 2017. Participants were selected by consecutive sampling and baseline data were collected through interviews. Venous blood samples were obtained to measure selenium concentrations, and associations between low maternal selenium concentrations (defined as <0.89 μmol/L) and pregnancy outcomes were examined using bivariate and multivariate analysis., Results: The final analysis included 113 patients; selenium deficiency was recorded in 23 (20.4%) patients. Women with selenium deficiency had an approximately eight-fold higher risk of preterm delivery (adjusted odds ratio 7.61, 95% confidence interval 4.37-18.89; P=0.031) and of delivering a term neonate with a low delivery weight (adjusted odds ratio 8.11, 95% confidence interval 3.27-17.22; P=0.012), compared with women with a normal selenium concentration., Conclusion: The prevalence of selenium deficiency among pregnant women with HIV in Lagos was relatively high. The significant associations observed between maternal selenium deficiency and adverse pregnancy outcomes could have implications for the future management of HIV in pregnancy., (© 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)