Marginal copper status of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

ABSTRACT

Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV] is the proximal cause of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome [AIDS]. Many factors are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of HIV infection, but he serum copper concentration of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome are largely unknown, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We studied 81 HIV antibody negative apparently healthy controls and 107 consecutive AIDS patients for Serum Copper concentration by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method. The mean serum copper concentration of the controls was 109.70 +/- 21.80 mg/dl and 54.31 +/- 15.19 mg/dl for the AIDS patients. The difference between these results was statistically significant [P<0.05]. This result suggest that copper trace element supplementation many benefit the patients