Absolute Lymphocyte Count as a Surrogate Marker of CD4 Count in Monitoring HIV Infected Individuals: A Prospective...

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Monitoring CD4 cell counts is crucial for managing HIV infection.
• Current CD4 count methods are expensive and require specialized resources.
• Absolute Lymphocyte Count (ALC) is explored as a more accessible alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical utility of Absolute Lymphocyte Count (ALC) as a surrogate marker.
• To predict CD4 counts below 200 cells/μl in HIV-infected individuals.
• Focus on applicability in resource-poor countries.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 61 HIV/AIDS patients.
• Calculated sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for various ALC cut-offs.
• Utilized Pearson correlation, linear regression, and ROC analysis.

Main Results:

• For patients ≥ 30 years, ALC < 1200 cells/μl showed low sensitivity (34.48%) and specificity (67.5%).
• For patients < 30 years, ALC < 1200 cells/μl had even lower sensitivity (27.27%).
• An ALC cut-off of < 1643 cells/μl demonstrated maximal sensitivity for predicting CD4 < 200 cells/μl.

Conclusions:

• A significant correlation exists between ALC and CD4 cell counts.
• An ALC cut-off of 1200 cells/μl is insufficient as a surrogate marker.
• An ALC cut-off of < 1643 cells/μl may serve as a cost-effective surrogate in resource-limited settings.