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The Micronutrient Therapy Study, which will investigate the importance of micronutrients in relation to HIV disease progression, will begin recruiting participants in early 2005. The trial, named “Dikotlana”, which means micronutrients in Setswana, will enrol a total of 828 HIV positive participants with CD4 > 350 and follow them for a period of two years. Once enrolled, participants will be randomized into four treatment arms. Individuals in three of the treatment arms will be given different combinations of micronutrients and those in the fourth arm will receive a placebo. The main objective of the study is to find out which combination of micronutrients works best in delaying the progression of HIV to AIDS in people who are HIV positive.
The Micronutrient Therapy Study follows up findings from previous studies conducted in the US and Tanzania, where there were indications that micronutrient supplimentation has a significant role in reducing mortality rates by slowing HIV disease progression. Supplementation with micronutrients like selenium and multivitamins is considered vital for maintaining good health and for delaying the time to initiation of ARV therapy.
The study site will be located just opposite Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone. Collaborating institutions involved with the study include Florida International University, Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative and the Botswana Ministry of Health.
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