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Antiretroviral Medications
Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Depletions
Copper

Although copper deficiency is rare, signs and symptoms of long-term depletion of copper include anemia, changes in the structure and appearance of hair, heart damage, growth retardation, impaired bone formation, osteoporosis (bone loss), and emphysema (lung disease).

Zinc

Signs and symptoms of zinc deficiency include loss of appetite or sense of taste, growth retardation, skin changes, and increased susceptibility to infection.

Editorial Note

Supporting Research

Ames BN. Micronutrient deficiencies: A major cause of DNA damage. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2000;889:87-106.

Baum, MK, et al. Zidovudine-associated adverse reactions in a longitudinal study of asymptomatic HIV-1 infected homosexual males. J. Acquir. Defic. Syndr. 4(12):1218-1226, 1991.

Chung S, Choi J, Hyun T, Rha Y, Bae C. Alterations in the carnitine metabolism in epileptic children treated with valproic acid. JKMS. 1997;12:553-558.

Coulter DL. Carnitine, valproate, toxicity. J Child Neurol. 1991;61(1):7-14.

Falchuk KH. Disturbances in Trace Elements. In: Fauci A, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al, eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Health Professional Division; 1998:490-491.

Hambidge M. Human zinc deficiency. J Nutr. 2000;130(5S Suppl):1344S-1349S.

Review Date: October 2000
Reviewed By: All depletions monographs have been reviewed by a team of experts including Derrick M. DeSilva, Jr., MD, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, NJ; Jacqueline A. Hart, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Harvard University and Senior Medical Editor, A.D.A.M., Inc., Boston, MA; John Hinze, PharmD, NMD, Woodbine, IA; Ruth Marlin, MD, Medical Director and Director of Medical Education, Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Sausalito, CA; Brian T Sanderoff, PD, BS in Pharmacy, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; President, Your Prescription for Health, Owings Mills, MD; Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP, George Washington University, Rockville, MD; Ira Zunin, MD, MPH, MBA, President and Chairman, Hawaii State Consortium for Integrative Medicine, Honolulu, HI.