Abstract

AIDS: A Johns Hopkins study of more than 300 men indicated that those with an abnormally low level of vitamin B-12 in their blood serum progressed to AIDS almost twice as fast as those with normal levels. In contrast to vitamin B-12, serum levels of vitamin B-6 or folic acid did not appear to correlate with disease progression. The almost twofold increase in progression to AIDS in those with low B-12 levels was found after adjusting for HIV-1-related symptoms, CD4+ cell count, age, serum albumin, use of antiretroviral therapy before AIDS, serum folate concentration, and frequency of alcohol consumption. This may indicate that serum vitamin B-12 concentrations are an early and independent marker of HIV-1 disease progression.