Session
Speaker
The Effects of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy of Stavudine,
Lamivudine and Nevirapine on the CD4 Lymphocyt E Count of HIV-Infected
Africans: The Nigerian Experience
Erhabor O, Ejele O.A. , Nwauche C.A.
UK
Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate
the short-term effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the
CD4 lymphocyte count of HIV-infected Nigerians.
Design: A case control study of 70 HIV-infected subjects
placed on highly active antiretroviral therapy. Thirty HIV-infected
yet to start therapy due to unaffordability were observed as controls.
Setting: This study was carried out at the Haematology Department
of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital a 500-bed tertiary
hospital and one of the designated antiretroviral therapy pilot centers.
Methods: CD4 lymphocyte count was determined at baseline for subjects
and controls. Subjects were placed on HAART of Stavudine (40mg), Lamivudine
(150mg) and Nevirapine (200mg) twice daily for 12 weeks while controls
that were yet to start therapy were monitored as controls. CD4 lymphocyte
count was repeated after 12 weeks and the differences compared statistically.
Methods: CD4 lymphocyte count was determined at baseline
for subjects and controls. Subjects were placed on HAART of Stavudine
(40mg), Lamivudine (150mg) and Nevirapine (200mg) twice daily for
12 weeks while controls that were yet to start therapy were monitored
as controls. CD4 lymphocyte count was repeated after 12 weeks and
the differences compared statistically.
Results: We observed that subjects and control patients did
not differ significantly in their CD4 lymphocyte count at baseline
(p>0.05), but after 12 weeks HAART in subjects and untreated control
there was a mean increase in CD4 count of (39 cells/µl) in subjects,
while untreated controls showed a mean decline of (12 cells/ µl)
p< 0.05. There was a statistically significant variation in the
therapy dependent increases in CD4 count of HAART treated subjects
based on pre-therapeutic baseline CD4 count (χ2=
180.39, p<0.05). The HAART dependent increase in CD4 counts was
higher in younger subjects 19-28 years (31 cells/µl) compared
to older subjects 49-58 years (21 cells/µl) (p = 0.01). Similarly
CD4 response was found higher in females compared to males (p = 0.01).
Conclusion: This study indicates the importance of accessing
the CD4 lymphocyte count of HIV infected patients before the initiation
of HAART, its use as a prognostic maker and in predicting the initial
response to HAART.
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