Reference values of CD4 T-lymphocytes in human immunodeficiency virus-exposed uninfected infants in Kano.Nigeria

Abstract

Background: CD4 T-lymphocyte count has been known to be affected by several factors including ethnic group, region, age, sex and physiological conditions. Studies to evaluate CD4 count in vertically exposed, but human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative infants from this region have not been done previously. The aim of this study was to determine the reference values of CD4 counts, percentages and temporal profile in  vertically exposed HIV negative infants residing in this environment.
Methodology: Blood samples were auto.analyzed using hematology machine made by Point Care Technologies, Inc. (Marlborough, MA, USA). All data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences 15.0 for Windows.. Median and 10^th and 90^th percentiles of CD4 cells were determined and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and Kendallfs non-parametric correlations. P .0.05 values were considered to be significant.
Results: The values of CD4 counts in the infants studied were higher compared with adults. The values of CD4 count, %CD4 and their normal ranges were statistically the same for male and female sexes and within all age categories under 1 year. Although absolute CD4 cell count remained fairly constant from birth to the age of 1 year, %CD4 decreased gradually from birth toward the age of one.
Conclusions: For the first time in this environment, our study has reported absolute and percentage CD4 count, which were similar to those reported from other African studies. The results support the use of the same  reference values for resident male and female infants for clinical decision making.

Key words: CD4 count, infant, Nigeria, reference ranges