Correlation of Opportunistic infections with CD4 counts and Viral Load in HIV patients: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are a subgroup of retrovirus which cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells causing a weakened immune system, and consequently making the patients prone to opportunistic infection. The present study was conducted to monitor the correlation of opportunistic infections with CD4 counts and viral load in HIV patients. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients in the department of Medicine, Government Medical College, Amritsar. The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee and the patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining written informed consent. All the patients were clinically examined, along with detailed history taking. CD4 count was measured with Sysmex CyFlow Counter System with CD4 easy count kit using the flow cytometry method. The results were then analyzed. Results: In the present study, the mean age of the patients was 34.6±10.29 years. There was a male preponderance (82% male vs 18% female patients). The majority of individuals (69.0%) were in WHO Stage IV and 31.0% of patients were in WHO Stage III. The mean CD4 count of patients was 115.27±60.46 cells/mm3 while the mean HIV viral load of patients was 98021.45±20236.58 copies/ml. HIV viral load has a positive correlation with opportunistic infection (r=.572, p=0.000). A significant negative correlation was found between CD4 and opportunistic infections (r=-.672, p=0.000). Conclusion: CD4 count and HIV viral load are essential biomarkers of HIV disease severity. CD4 counts are inversely related to the HIV viral loads. Monitoring the CD4 counts and HIV viral loads help monitor the HIV disease progression and can guide the prevention and treatment of various opportunistic infections on time and consequently providing a better quality of life to HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]