Abstract:
Use of micronutrients has been recognized as a low-cost sustainable intervention in the
management of HIV/AIDS worldwide, yet there is little information on the micronutrient levels among the population in Kenya that can aid in making informed decisions. The main objective of this study was to determine the levels of zinc, retinol and ά-tocopherol among the HIV positive and HIV negative subjects in Busia County, Western Kenya, in a case control study. Blood samples were obtained from a total of 155 consenting study subjects for determination of haematological and biochemical characteristics. A physical medical examination was done to determine the prevalence of morbidity among the respondents and a structured questionnaire used to determine the dietary practices and the behavior risk factors in the stated study population. Data collected was coded and entered into a database using MS-Access and a clean dataset exported into a Statistical Package format (SPSS) where univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis were done. In the results, the levels of Zinc, Retinol and α-tocopherol were similar in both the HIV positive and negative subjects with more than 60% of the population manifesting deficiency in the three micronutrients. However, the study subjects deficient in CD4+ cell count were 24.4% and 3.9% in HIV positive and negative subjects, respectively (P<0.001). In terms of morbidity, the disease burden among the two groups was similar. Of the twenty-three signs and symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS that were evaluated, a significant difference was noted in lymphadenopathy (12.8% HIV positive, 3.1% HIV negative, P = 0.005), Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (34.6% HIV positive,19.5% HIV negative, P = 0.034) and Skin rash (25.6% HIV positive, 7.8% HIV negative, P = 0.003). The dietary practices and food intake patterns were similar among the two groups of respondents where comparison of consumption of the different food groups between the HIV positive and negative participants revealed no significant difference among the two groups. In conclusion, this study implies that even though there were slight differences in the levels of micronutrients (Zinc, Retinol and ά- Tocopherol), the morbidity patterns and the dietary practices among the HIV positive the HIV negative persons, the differences were not significant.
