Vitamin Deficiency and HIV Infection, A Retrospective Study Looking at Possible Causal Factors in the Hispanic Population with HIV

The cause of vitamin D deficiency in the Hispanic population with HIV has not been studied in great detail. This deficiency may be related to the underlying chronic disease or to the lack of sun exposure and other notable factors. The current standards that have been applied to non-HIV patients may in fact not be applicable to the HIV population. This study attempted to evaluate the possible relationship between HIV and vitamin D deficiency in a Hispanic patient population residing in El Paso, Texas. 94 HIV-infected patients were surveyed over a period of 12 months. Data was collected from their records regarding CD4 count, HIV viral load, use of anti-retroviral drugs, vitamin D levels, and status of prescription for vitamin D. We found no correlation between the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and vitamin D deficiency. We also did not find evidence that antiretroviral (ARV) therapy was correlated to lower vitamin D levels in these patients. Further studies are needed to examine the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and HAART.