Low CD4+ T lymphocyte counts (CD4 counts) are associated with a variety of conditions, including many viral infections, bacterial infections, parasitic infections, sepsis, tuberculosis, coccidioidomycosis, burns, trauma, intravenous injections of foreign proteins, malnutrition, over-exercising, pregnancy, coricosteroid use, normal daily variation, psychological stress, and social isolation. It ...

BACKGROUND Studies of the progression liver fibrosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients suggest that cirrhosis is associated with immunosuppression, as measured by low absolute CD4(+) T cell counts. However, we hypothesized that, in patients with advanced liver disease, low CD4(+) T cell counts may occur secondary to portal hypertension and splenic s...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the variability of CD4 counts in the general population of sub-Saharan Africa countries affected by the HIV epidemic. We investigated factors associated with CD4 counts in a rural area in South Africa with high HIV prevalence and high antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage. METHODS CD4 counts, health status, body mass index (BMI), demographic characteristics ...

CD4 and CD8 counts are widely used prognostic markers to assess the degree of immune impairment in HIV seropositive individuals and to monitor anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Pregnancy is considered as a physiologically immunocompromised state, hence alterations in T lymphocyte subsets may occur during pregnancy. There is a need to establish base-line values of these counts, especially in health...

BACKGROUND Initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) results in higher total CD4 cell counts, a surrogate for immune reconstitution. Whether the baseline CD4 cell count affects reconstitution of immune cell subsets has not been well characterized. METHODS Using data from 978 patients (621 with comprehensive immunological assessments) from the AIDS [Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndr...

BACKGROUND Whereas HAART initiated at CD4 cell counts 351-450 cells/ml reduces mortality, compared with starting at lower CD4 levels, there is currently no evidence for the advantages of initiating treatment at CD4 cell counts greater than 450 cells/ml. METHODS Mortality hazard, as a function of CD4 cell count, was estimated among postpartum HIV-positive women in Zimbabwe, using HIV-negative ...

It has been suggested that the rate of CD4 cell decline accelerates in parallel with decreasing numbers of cells; however, the statistical literature suggests the opposite. CD4 cells were counted about every 6 months in a cohort of 1264 human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects (the Italian Seroconversion Study cohort). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the time for CD4 cells to d...

Define and identify long-term non-progressors (LTNP) and HIV controllers (HIC), and estimate time until disease progression. LTNP are HIV-1(+) patients who maintain stable CD4(+) T-cell counts, with no history of opportunistic infection or antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIC are a subset of LTNP who additionally have undetectable viraemia. These individuals may provide insights for prophylactic a...

To assess the effect of obesity on CD4 cell counts, we estimated the association of time-updated BMI categories with CD4 changes among 1001 documented HIV seroconverters. During the pre-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, a higher BMI was associated with less reduction in CD4 cell counts over time. However during the HAART era, obese versus normal weight patients had smaller incre...

Background: Diagnosis and management of malnutrition in HIV- infected children is important as it is both a manifestation as well as an independent risk factor for death. Extent in hilly poor outreach areas of North India has been poorly studied.  Aim: to study the prevalence of malnutrition among children with HIV/AIDS using WHO z- score and Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) method and effect...