The Impact of Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment on the Blood Profiles of Patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Abstract

This study retrospectively investigated the short- and long-term impact of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) on the blood profiles of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and their relationship with disease progression. CD4⁺ T-cell count was measured by flow cytometry, plasma viral load of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA was detected by reverse transcription—polymerase chain reaction, and blood profile was determined by an automated analyser. CD4⁺ T-cell count, total lymphocyte count (TLC) and haemoglobin concentration improved gradually in patients with AIDS after the initiation of HAART. Long-term effective HAART significantly increased CD4⁺ T-cell counts TLC and haemoglobin concentrations, and reduced viral load to undetectable levels. An increase in haemoglobin was positively correlated with an increase in CD4⁺ T-cells. These findings suggest that TLC is a valuable tool for determining the initiation of HAART, and that the haemoglobin concentration could be an additional indicator for long-term monitoring of HAART in resource-limited settings.