Côte d'Ivoire is the West African’s country most affected by HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately HIV infection has the effect of increasing the production of free radicals in the body. To counter the damaging effects of free radicals, the body increases the production of antioxidant molecules (vitamins A, C and E). The micronutrients play an important role in the immune system, in the protection and renewal of cells. In Côte d'Ivoire, very few studies have been devoted to the binomial micronutrient/HIV infection. The main objective of this study is to assess the micronutrient status of people living with HIV (PLHIV). The study involved 346 subjects including 173 adults with positive HIV, and 173 control population (negative HIV). After confirming the HIV status of the included subjects, the whole blood of PLHIV was used for counting CD4 in flow cytometry (FacsCalibur), while Liquid Chromatography (waters®-type) was used to determine serum vitamins A and E concentrations. The results showed a mean serum vitamin A, 0.08±0.01mg/L in PLHIV against 0.14±0.01mg/L in control population (p <0.0001). However, for vitamin E, concentration was 5.48 ± 0.30 mg/L in control population against 1.27±0.19mg/L in PLHIV. Reduction levels of vitamins (A, E) in PLHIV were 42.86% and 76.82%, respectively. In general, the results showed a significant deficiency of vitamins A (89/173, 51.44%) and E (128/173, 74%) in PLHIV compared to control population (P <0.0001 ). The vitamins deficiency may be due to the increased use of their antioxidant on oxidative stress caused by the overproduction of free radicals during HIV infection.
