TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants in the treatment armsa
| Characteristic | Total (n = 180) | Selenium (n = 90) | Placebo (n = 90) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 29.7 ± 6.0 | 29.3 ± 6.3 | 30.1 ± 5.8 | 0.356 |
| Pregnancy duration at enrollment, weeks | 19.5 ± 4.0 | 20.5 ± 3.9 | 19.7 ± 4.0 | 0.208 |
| Body mass index | 26.2 ± 5.2 | 26.7 ± 5.6 | 25.6 ± 4.7 | 0.176 |
| Prior pregnancies | ||||
| 0 | 28 (15.6) | 14 (15.6) | 14 (15.6) | 0.943 |
| 1–3 | 143 (79.4) | 72 (80.0) | 71 (78.9) | |
| >3 | 9 (5.0) | 4 (4.4) | 5 (5.6) | |
| Tribe | ||||
| Yoruba | 86 (47.8) | 42 (46.7) | 44 (48.9) | 0.917 |
| Ibo | 42 (23.3) | 23 (25.6) | 19 (21.1) | |
| Hausa | 33 (18.3) | 16 (17.8) | 17 (18.9) | |
| Others | 19 (10.6) | 9 (10.0) | 10 (11.1) | |
| Level of education | ||||
| Unschooled | 13 (7.2) | 8 (8.9) | 5 (5.6) | 0.803 |
| Primary education | 52 (28.9) | 27 (30.5) | 25 (27.8) | |
| Secondary education | 82 (45.6) | 39 (43.3) | 43 (47.8) | |
| Tertiary education | 33 (18.3) | 16 (17.8) | 17 (18.9) | |
| Occupation | ||||
| Housewife | 31 (17.2) | 14 (15.6) | 17 (18.9) | 0.630 |
| Trader | 87 (48.3) | 42 (46.7) | 45 (50.0) | |
| Artisan | 19 (10.6) | 12 (13.3) | 7 (7.8) | |
| Civil servant | 43 (23.9) | 22 (24.4) | 21 (23.3) | |
| Social class | ||||
| Class 1 | 29 (16.1) | 13 (14.4) | 16 (17.8) | 0.564 |
| Class 2 | 13 (7.2) | 7 (7.8) | 6 (6.7) | |
| Class 3 | 72 (40.0) | 35 (38.9) | 37 (41.1) | |
| Class 4 | 54 (30.0) | 31 (34.4) | 23 (25.6) | |
| Class 5 | 12 (6.7) | 4 (4.4) | 8 (8.9) | |
| WHO disease stage | ||||
| Stage 1 | 110 (61.1) | 55 (61.1) | 55 (61.1) | 0.938 |
| Stage 2 | 61 (33.9) | 30 (33.3) | 31 (34.4) | |
| Stage 3 | 9 (5.0) | 5 (5.6) | 4 (4.4) | |
| Time since HIV diagnosis, months | ||||
| <12 | 56 (31.1) | 27 (30.0) | 29 (32.2) | 0.9480.948 |
| 12–60 | 110 (61.1) | 56 (62.2) | 54 (60.0) | |
| ≥60 | 14 (7.8) | 7 (7.8) | 7 (7.8) | |
| ART duration, months | ||||
| <6 | 101 (56.1) | 50 (55.6) | 51 (56.7) | 0.881 |
| ≥6 | 79 (43.9) | 40 (44.4) | 39 (43.3) | |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 10.8 ± 1.7 | 10.9 ± 1.5 | 10.7 ± 1.8 | 0.352 |
| CD4+ cells count (log)b | 2.5 ± 0.3 | 2.6 ± 0.2 | 2.5 ± 0.3 | 0.513 |
| Viral load (log)b | 3.7 ± 1.6 | 3.6 ± 1.5 | 3.8 ± 1.6 | 0.540 |
Abbreviations: ART, antiretroviral treatment; BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters).
a
Values are given as mean ± SD, or number (percentage) unless indicated otherwise.
b
A base-10 scale was used.