CORRELATION BETWEEN BASELINE CD4+T-LYMPHOCYTE COUNT AND PLASMA VIRAL LOAD IN AIDS PATIENTS AND THEIR EARLY CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO HAART: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

The aim of this study was to determine the clinical, immunological and virological status of newly diagnosed AIDS cases and to monitor their clinical and immunological response to HAART after a minimum period of three months. Forty three drug naive AIDS patients were enrolled. The most common presenting complaints were weight loss (74.4%), cough (72.1%) and diarrhoea (67.4%). Mean baseline CD4 cell count was 112 ±60 cells/μL and mean baseline plasma viral load of 31 patients studied was 192,686 copies/mL. Baseline plasma viral load was higher among patients with lower baseline CD4 cell count. During follow-up, 80.8% patients showed clinical improvement, while a CD4 cell count increased by ≥50 cells/μL in 84.6% cases. Mean CD4 cell count increased from 126 ±16.6 cells/μL at baseline to 278 ±196.7 cells/μL.