Search

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load and serum vitamin A and E concentrations and vitamin E/cholesterol ratio in HIV-1 infected pregnant women not receiving antiretroviral therapy There were no significant correlations between plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load and serum vitamin A and E concentrations and vitamin E/cholesterol ratio. However, the presence of underlying vitamin A deficiency in these pregnant women was common.

This study was undertaken to assess the maternal and umbilical cord serum vitamin A, E levels at delivery and mother-to-child transmission in nonsupplemented vitamin A, E HIV-1 infected parturients who received short-course zidovudine therapy. Maternal and umbilical cord serum vitamin A, E levels were quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography in 67 HIV-1 infected parturients who received short-course zidovudine therapy. Mother-to-child transmission occurred in 13.4 per cent of HIV-1 infected parturients. There were no significant differences in the mean concentrations of vitamin A, E and vitamin E/cholesterol ratio between parturients with HIV-1 infected and non-infected infants. While maternal serum vitamin E level was adequate, nearly one-third of the parturients in the study had vitamin A deficiency. In conclusion our study has shown that there was no correlation between maternal serum vitamin A, E levels and mother-to-child HIV transmission in HIV-1 infected parturients who received short-course zidovudine therapy. However, the presence of underlying vitamin A deficiency in these parturients was common, adequate and intensive maternal-infant nutritional support should be emphasized especially in developing countries as an adjunctive measure in the reduction of mother-to-child transmission of HIV as well as the reduction in maternal and perinatal morbidity.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the status of serum vitamin A, E and hemoglobinopathies among Thai pregnant women., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which serum vitamin A and E were assessed in 323 pregnant women with normal hemoglobin and 73 with hemoglobinopathies (47 with hemoglobin E and 26 with thalassemia) during the first trimester., Results: There were no significant differences in the mean serum vitamin A, E concentrations and vitamin E/cholesterol ratio between pregnant women with normal hemoglobin and hemoglobinopathies, while confounding variables that might affect serum vitamin levels i.e. maternal age, gravida, BMI, gestational age, hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and blood group were not different., Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that antenatal care in terms of micronutrients-vitamin A, E in Thai pregnant women with hemoglobinopathies should not be different from normal pregnant women.

Objective: To determine if low levels of serum vitamin A and beta-carotene are present in pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection., Methods: Serum concentrations of vitamin A and beta-carotene were measured in 74 pregnant women seropositive for HIV-1 infection (17 with CD4 count below 200 cells/microliter) and in 148 pregnant seronegative controls in the first trimester. Comparisons were made between groups stratified by CD4 count., Results: Compared with controls, women with HIV-1 infection and CD4 count below 200 cells/microliter exhibited 37% lower mean serum vitamin A levels (0.820 versus 1.308 micromol/L, P < .001) and 37% lower mean serum beta-carotene levels (1.486 versus 2.362 micromol/L, P < .001). Mean maternal age, parity, gestational age, hemoglobin levels, and body mass index at entry into the study did not differ significantly between the control and HIV-1 infection groups. In addition, serum vitamin A levels correlated significantly with the percentage of CD4 lymphocytes (r = 0.589, P < .001), CD4 count (r = 0.772, P < .001), and CD4 to CD8 ratio (r = 0.593, P < .001). Serum beta-carotene levels correlated with the percentage of CD4 lymphocytes (r = 0.407, P < .001), CD4 count (r = 0.614, P < .001), and CD4 to CD8 ratio (r = 0.434, P < .001)., Conclusion: Compared with levels in uninfected women, serum vitamin A and beta-carotene are decreased in HIV-1-infected pregnant women in the first trimester with CD4 counts lower than 200 cells/microliter. These micronutrient concentrations also correlate with CD4 count.