Lower Plasma Zinc Levels in Hyperglycemic People Living with HIV in the MASH cohort

Zinc deficiency is prevalent among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). This may be due to the preferential use of zinc by humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) for viral replication, altered zinc metabolism and/or inadequate dietary zinc intake.

Low plasma zinc levels directly affect the immune system because zinc is an important co-factor in the maturation of CD4 cells, which are part of the T-cell system of the immune system. In addition, zinc is important for many catalytic enzymatic activity and protein/DNA synthesis. Due to its importance and pervasiveness in all tissues, zinc deficiency has many adverse effects such as impairing the reconstitution of the immune function in PLWH. In 1996, antiretroviral therapy (ART) was first used to successfully control the HIV viral load and become the standard of treatment for HIV. The treatment, however, has been associated with hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. As a result, PLWH are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and subsequently cardiovascular disease after initiation of ART. Read more>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>