Oxidative Stress and Zinc and Selenium Status in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection—A Review

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (1). The ultimate consequence of infection with HIV is profound immunosuppression that is the result of both quantitative and qualitative abnormalities of the helper/inducer subset of T lymphocytes. Consequently, HIV-infected patients are vulnerable to a variety of infections, typically opportunistic; to malignancies, including Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoma; and to a variety of other disease states, such as cachexia or central nervous system diseases.