Monitoring antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients in resource-limited settings: CD4 counts or total lymphocyte counts?

OBJECTIVE: In order to improve the monitoring of disease progression and therapeutic effectiveness in the management of HIV/AIDS in a resource-limited setting, this study was carried out to establish a correlation between total lymphocyte counts (TLC) and CD4 lymphocyte counts in HIV-1 infected/AIDS adults in Yaoundé, Cameroon. METHODS: Full blood counts, differential white, and CD4 counts were measured in 149 patients using standard methods. The correlation coefficient established correlation between values. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values were calculated as required. RESULTS: The mean TLC, CD4 count, and CD4% as well as CD4/CD8 ratios were 1.932+/-0.895 x 10(9)/L, 268+/-183 cells/mm(3), 14.51+/-15.9%, and 0.34+/-0.25, respectively. Only a weak correlation was observed between TLC and CD4 counts (r=0.41, p=0.05). As a predictor of CD4 count, TLC cut-offs <2.0 and <1.0 x 10(9)/L were unable to predict these values reliably, but showed that at TLC cut-offs of <1.0 x 10(9)/L there was a high chance of CD4 counts being under 200 cells/mm(3). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that TLC are of limited value in predicting CD4 counts and should not be substituted for CD4 counts whenever possible. However, TLC may be reliably used in designing algorithms and programs for initiating patient management and follow-up in this setting.