Original Article

J Pediatr (Rio J). 2011;87(6):517-22: Children, adolescents, HIV, ascorbic acid.

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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.