Abnormalities of blood selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and aids-related complex.

Severe protein-calorie malnutrition is common in patients with AIDS and could contribute to the progressive deterioration characteristic of that disease. Selenium deficiency could also have a negative impact on immune function and other organ functions vital for recovery from infectious diseases. Therefore, to assess any role for selenium in AIDS we determined plasma and erythrocyte selenium levels and glutathione peroxidase activity in 13 patients with AIDS compared to 8 patients with AIDS-related complex (ARC) and 14 healthy controls. Plasma selenium levels were significantly reduced in AIDS patients compared to controls (p less than .0001) and to ARC (p less than .02). Erythrocyte selenium levels in both AIDS and ARC were also reduced compared to controls (p less than .02), but not to each other. Glutathione peroxidase activity in AIDS was 28.9 +/- 1.4 U/g Hb vs 38.4 +/- 6.9 in ARC (p = NS) and 52.3 +/- 1.7 in controls (p less than .0001 vs AIDS; p less than .02 vs ARC). When all groups were combined, there were significant correlations between total lymphocyte count and both plasma selenium (r = .53; p less than .002) and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity (r = .65; p less than .0001). In addition, strong correlations were noted between plasma selenium and serum albumin (r = .68; p less than .0001), plasma selenium and glutathione peroxidase (r = .77; p less than .0001), and glutathione peroxidase and hematocrit (r = .66; p less than .0001). In AIDS or ARC, no correlations between selenium with disease duration or weight loss were present. We conclude that, in comparison to normals, patients manifesting infection with human immunodeficiency virus have evidence of selenium deficiency as determined by diminished plasma and erythrocyte levels and glutathione peroxidase activity. These abnormalities are most marked in patients with AIDS, but are also present in patients with AIDS-related complex. Selenium deficiency has important implications for the progression and pathogenesis of clinical disease in AIDS.