Analysis of serum and supplemented vitamin C and oxidative stress in HIV-infected children and adolescents

Objectives: to assess adequacy of vitamin c intake in hiv-infected children and adolescents; to evaluate serum levels of vitamin c and indicators of oxidative stress; to compare with the uninfected group; to correlate serum vitamin c with oxidative stress and associate them according to the reference values. methods: comparative cross-sectional study. two groups of 27 children and adolescents each,aged between 3 to 19 years. group 1 (g1) comprised individuals vertically infected with hiv seen at a regional outpatient clinic. group 2 (g2) comprised invited individuals without history of hiv infection. the groups were matched for age,sex,and socioeconomic status. the following variables were analyzed: body mass index for age; micronutrient intake and consumption; and serum vitamin c,c-reactive protein (crp),and albumin. results: the mean age was 12 years old. most subjects were female (17,63%),and there was prevalence of the economic class c (27,50%). the most prevalent nutritional status was normal weight in 20 individuals (74.1%) in g1 and 21 (77.8%) in g2. the intake of vitamin c was significantly higher in g1 (p = 0.006; t = 2.987) according to the 24-hour dietary recall method. there were significant differences in serum vitamin c concentration between the groups,with a lower level in g1 (p = 0.000; t = -7.309). in relation to oxidative stress,values of crp in g1 were significantly higher (p = 0.007; t = 2.958). there was no association between deficiency of vitamin,crp,and albumin. conclusion: our findings show that hiv-infected individuals have low levels of vitamin c; however,this deficiency is not related to eating habits,since the intake of this nutrient was higher in this group than in the control group. hiv-infected individuals have specific characteristics that increase their oxidative stress,which is evidenced by increased crp. copyright © 2011 by sociedade brasileira de pediatria.