Selenium status and infant birth weight among HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: During pregnancy, selenium deficiency and reduced antioxidant activities may result in adverse perinatal outcome such as low birthweight, which is associated with significant perinatal morbidity and mortality. Many studies have reported conflicting findings on the relationship between maternal selenium status and infant birth weight.

Objective: This study is to determine the relationship between maternal serum selenium concentration and infant birthweight in HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women at term.