INTRODUCTION In resource-limited settings, due to the high cost of CD4 cell count testing, physicians must decide about opportunistic infection (OI) prophylaxis without a laboratory evaluation of HIV stage and level of immune suppression. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of total lymphocyte count (TLC), an inexpensive laboratory parameter, to CD4 count, and to determine a range of T...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical lesions of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients in the oral cavity, head and neck region and to determine their associations with level of immune suppression as measured by the CD4+ count. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 50 patients with a proven HIV infection...

BACKGROUND The goal of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is to suppress viral replication, reduce morbidity and mortality, and improve quality of life (QoL). For resource-limited settings, the World Health Organization recommends a first-line regimen of two-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors and one non-nucleoside transcriptase inhibitor (nevirapine (NVP) or efavirenz (EFV)). There are few ...

Cryoglobulinemia was studied in human immunodeficiency virus-positive, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients in relation to their CD4 cell count. Cryoglobulinemia was found in 18 (31.6%) of 57 patients: 17 (44.7%) of 38 patients with a CD4 cell count of >or=200 cells/ micro L versus 1 (5.3%) of 19 patients with a CD4 cell count of <200 cells/ micro L (P=.0064). Cell-mediated immunity could,...

We evaluated the individual and combined levels of urine dipstick and total lymphocyte count (TLC) as surrogate markers for CD4 count in a low-resource community in Ghana. This cross-sectional study recruited 200 HIV-infected patients from the Saint Francis Xavier Hospital, Assin Fosu, Ghana. Complete blood count, CD4 count, and urine dipstick analysis were measured for participants. The thresh...

BACKGROUND Few data are available on the long-term immunologic response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings, where ART is being rapidly scaled up using a public health approach, with a limited repertoire of drugs. OBJECTIVES To describe immunologic response to ART among ART patients in a network of cohorts from sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. STUDY POPULA...

BACKGROUND CD4(+) T-lymphocyte count (CD4 count) is a standard method used to monitor HIV-infected patients during anti-retroviral therapy (ART). The World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed out or recommended that a handheld, point-of-care, reliable, and affordable CD4 count platform is urgently needed in resource-scarce settings. METHODS HIV-infected patient blood samples were tested at ...

BACKGROUND The CD4 T cell count recovery in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals receiving potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) shows high variability. We studied the determinants and the clinical relevance of incomplete CD4 T cell restoration. METHODS Longitudinal CD4 T cell count was analyzed in 293 participants of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study who had had a plasma H...

BACKGROUND HIV viral load (VL) is currently not part of the criteria for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis discontinuation, but suppression of plasma viremia with antiretroviral therapy may allow for discontinuation of PCP prophylaxis even with CD4 count <200 cells/µL. METHODS A systematic review was performed to determine the incidence of PCP in HIV-infected individuals with...

Lymphocyte CD4count, a standard laboratory test for staging of HIV infection, is expensive and unavailable in resource-restricted countries. Total lymphocyte count (TLC) and hemoglobin (Hb) are recommended as simple & inexpensive surrogates. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation, sensitivity and predictive power of these parameters as substitutes for CD4 count. One hundred HIV pat...