Comparison of Standard and Point-of-Care CD4+ T Lymphocyte Measurement Methods in HIV-1 Infected Turkish Patients

Background and Objectives: CD4+ T lymphocytes are the primary targets of HIV infection. CD4+ T lymphocyte count is an indicator of immune competence. In this study, we aimed to compare standard flow cytometry and point-of-care (POC) CD4+ T lymphocyte in terms of cost, effectiveness, reliability, time, and the use of this method for disease. Materials and Methods: This study includes 113 patients. CD4+ T lymphocyte count and percentage were evaluated by flow cytometry and POC. Also, hemoglobin (Hb) level was studied. The data obtained by two methods are compared. Results: When the two methods were compared, intraclass coefficients demonstrated a good consistency for Hb (ICC = 0.849) and CD4+ T lymphocyte percentage (ICC = 0.803). For CD4+ T lymphocyte count, consistency was moderate, ICC = 0.651, but still statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In resource-limited countries, virological monitoring with HIV RNA cannot be performed at any time because it is expensive. However, CD4+ T lymphocyte count and percentage monitoring is important in predicting treatment success. POC results are in good consistency with the standard method, and it is also a test that can be used due to being cheap, easy, and quick.