Vitamin A Deficiency and Wasting as Predictors of Mortality in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Injection Drug Users

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1995-05, Vol.171 (5), p.1196-1202
• Main Authors: Semba, Richard D., Caiaffa, Waleska T., Graham, Neil M. H., Cohn, Sylvia, Vlahov, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - mortality; Adult; Age Factors; AIDS; Biological and medical sciences; Body mass index; Body Weight; Cachexia - etiology; Case-Control Studies; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Death; Female; Hemoglobins; HIV infections; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - mortality; human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infections; Injections; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Mortality; Multivariate Analysis; Platelet Count; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications; T lymphocytes; Vitamin A; Vitamin A - blood; Vitamin A deficiency; Vitamin A Deficiency - etiology
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/171.5.1196

A nested case-control study of vitamin A deficiency and wasting as risk factors for mortality from AIDS and infections was done within a large prospective cohort of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected injection drug users (IDUs). Fifty adult subjects who died from AIDS and infections were matched with 235 controls who survived. Plasma vitamin A, weight, and body mass index were measured. Mean length of follow-up was 2.4 ± 1.1 years. Vitamin A deficiency occurred in 50% and wasting occurred in 38% of patients in the last visit before death. CD4 cell count