European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MICRONUTRIENTS IN IMPROVING CD4 + T-CELL COUNT AND BODY WEIGHT OF HIV POSITIVE PATIENTS IN IMO AND ABIA STATES OF NIGERIA

Louis U. Amazu and Paul A. Nwafor*

ABSTRACT

This work investigated the effect of micronutrients on HIV/AIDs patients whose CD4+ T- Cell count are greater than 350/μL and devoid of secondary infections. CD4+ T-cell count were determined on registration and at 3 monthly interval for 2 years for those on immunase (a multivitamin mineral drug from vitabiotics), Vitamin E and Vitamin C. Men and women with CD4+ T-cell > 350/μL. without secondary infection. The Micronutrients increased both the CD4+ Tcell count and body weight between initiation of treatment and 24 months post-registration in more than sixty percent (60%) of ( 1,232 men and women) patients. These increases were statistically significant (p<0.05). In less than forty percent (<40%) of patients, the mean CD4+ T-cell count and weight increased initially when the patients were taking the vitamins regularly, but declined due to non- compliance to prescription. These improvements on health, social and psychological wellbeing of the patients may in part be due to the involvements of these micronutrients in biochemical/metabolic pathways of the patients.

Keywords: CD4+ count, Immunase, HIV/AIDs, Micronutrients, Men, Women.