CD4 Count as a Determinant in Clinicalepidemiological Profile of HIV Positive Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: With anti-retroviral drugs mortality from HIV has reduced over the past decade. There is a decline in deaths due to HIV/AIDS evident since mid- 2000’s. Progression of disease to different stages largely depends on the immune status of the individual. A depleting CD4 count correlates with progression of HIV. Hence, this study was carried out with the objective to find the various factors affecting the CD4 count. Materials and Methods: Information was gathered from a total of 1000 patient’s on ART medication attending the ART centre at the district government hospital was collected for a period of one year. Descriptive statistics, one sample t test and ANOVA were used for analysis. Results: 71.4% of the attendees the CD4 count was below 500 cells/mm3. The mean CD4 was significantly higher in: Females [Mean = 450.72 +/-213.63 (p = 0.001)]. It was also significantly different with respect to adherence, duration of disease, habits and opportunistic infections. Conclusion: CD4 count was influenced by gender, age, duration of disease and treatment and by personal habits like smoking and alcohol. It alone can be taken as a predictor of disease progression.