Iron Status and the Severity of HIV Infection in Pregnant Women

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Abstract
Sir—Emerging data suggest that the iron status of patients with HIV infection has an important effect on the development of opportunistic infection and the progression of HIV disease [1–7]. Few data are currently available on whether HIV infection or AIDS affects the iron balance of pregnant women differently than it affects that of nonpregnant women, men, and children. However, this is an important area of research because, in several sub-Saharan African nations, often 10%–25% of pregnant women are infected with HIV, and daily oral iron supplementation is routinely provided during antenatal care [8].