A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY INDUCED CD4 T-CELL CHANGES AMONG HIV INFECTED PATIENTS

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to assess the CD4 induced T-cell changes after initiation of first-line ART in patients attending ART centre, Palakkad, Kerala, India. This study was designed as a hospital based combined prospective and retrospective study. The data collection was carried out from January to July 2014. A total of 261 who were naive to ART were included in the study. The majority of the patients were between the age group of 28-47 years. The male (49.43 %) and female (50.57 %) populations were almost in similar proportion. 63.60 % were married. 47.12 % of the patients had completed the secondary education. Heterosexual was the major cause for transmission for about 81.23 %. After 24 months of treatment, CD4 T-cell increased to 471.52 cells/mm³ in ZLN/E and increased up to 514.43 cells/mm³ in TLN/E. The body mass index was increased to 1.76 kg/m² in TLN/E and 1.13 kg/m² in ZLN/E. ZLN/E and TLN/E had 82 and 68 HIV infected patients who had acute respiratory infection, followed by oral candidasis accounting for 53 and 44. Zidovudine induced anaemia were more common adverse drug reaction followed by nevirapine rashes. The study documented the efficacy of ART regimens and provides information about the improvement of immunological status in HIV infected population, who were under the first-line regimen of antiretroviral therapy. The study shows TLN/E is safer than ZLN/E and the efficacy is relatively similar in both the regimens.