Vitamin D deficiency may be associated with a more rapid decline in CD4 cell count to <350 cells/μL in untreated HIV-infected adults

Abstract

Objectives: Low vitamin D status is associated with both increased disease progression and mortality in people with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, data are lacking on effects of vitamin status on disease progression and CD4 cell count in people with HIV not receiving ART. We therefore evaluated effects of vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] 400 copies/mL. A proportional hazards model was fitted to evaluate the effect of vitamin D status on the time to decline in CD4 cell count (<350 cells/μL), adjusted for nadir CD4 cell count, time since HIV diagnosis, previous ART use and HIVviral load. Results: 224 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria a..