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Serum Zinc Concentrations and Depression in Persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
Author(s) -
Poudel Krishna,
PoudelTandukar Kalpana
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.lb356
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , confidence interval , zinc deficiency (plant disorder) , zinc , medicine , odds ratio , beck depression inventory , anthropometry , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , logistic regression , immunology , micronutrient , psychiatry , chemistry , pathology , anxiety , organic chemistry , economics , macroeconomics
Background HIV infection has been frequently associated with zinc deficiency and depression. Zinc deficiency may increase the risk of depression in people without HIV. However, research on the role of zinc in depression among HIV‐positive people is limited. We assessed the association between serum zinc concentrations and depression in HIV‐positive people. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 311 HIV‐positive people residing in Kathmandu, Nepal. Anthropometric and information on medical history, food habits, and life‐style factors were collected. Fasting blood samples were taken. The atomic absorption method was used to measure serum zinc concentrations and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)‐Ia was used to measure depression, with cut off score 20 or higher. The relationship of zinc concentrations to depression was assessed using both multiple linear regressions and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results In total, 26% of participants were depressed. The geometric means of depression scores in men and women were 8.18 and 12.38, respectively. The means of zinc concentrations in men and women were 75.62 µg/dL and 72.63 µg/dL, respectively. Serum zinc concentrations were inversely associated with log depression scores (β=‐0.02; P=0.0003). Men and women with the highest level of zinc concentrations had a significantly decreased risk of depression, with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for the highest versus lowest tertile of serum zinc concentrations were 0.49 (0.25‐0.98), 0.28 (0.11‐0.71), and 0.98 (0.33‐2.89) for total participants, men, and women, respectively. Conclusion Serum zinc concentrations are inversely associated with depression scores in HIV‐positive people.