Factors Affecting Vitamin D Level in Antiretroviral Treatment Naive Persons Living with HIV

INTRODUCTION: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the factors affecting vitamin D levels in antiretroviral treatment naive persons living with HIV.
METHODS: This retrospective study, which included 100 patients, was performed in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital. The relationship between patients’ 25(OH)D vitamin levels and demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, coinfection or malignancy, possible transmission time of HIV infection, substance use, smoking and alcohol use, CD4+ T lymphocyte counts, HIV RNA levels, and laboratory values were investigated.
RESULTS: Of the 100 patients included in the study, 90 (90%) were male, and the mean age was 36.7±11.5. At the time of admission, 84 patients (84%) had either vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. For between-group differences, the patients were divided into two groups based on a 25(OH)D level of <30 ng/ml and ≥30 ng/ml. The two groups were similar with respect to age, body mass index, comorbidities, sex, smoking status, alcohol use, and possible transmission time of HIV infection (p>0.05). Except for the ALT level (p<0.05), the two groups were similar with respect to all laboratory variables.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study found that antiretroviral treatment naive persons living with HIV, with and without vitamin D deficiency, showed similar characteristics with respect to some traditional risk factors such as age, gender, and obesity. However, only significant correlations were found between ALT and vitamin D levels. More studies are needed to show the relationship between ALT and vitamin D levels.