Validity and Reliability of Total Lymphocyte Count as Alternative Biomarker for CD4 Count in the Management of HIV Positive Patients on HAART in Osogbo, Nigeria

Introduction: To determine the possibility of utilizing total lymphocyte counts (TLC) instead of CD4 counts in the initiation and management of patients with HIV on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The commencement of HAART CD4 lymphocytes has been employed in the management HIV. However it has been found that determination of CD4 counts is expensive and somewhat laborious to perform in already overburdened healthcare systems especially in the developing countries. Methodology: Five hundred and three (503) consenting patients already on HAART (commenced at CD4 count < 350 cells/μl) who attended our HIV clinic between February 2014 and February 2015 were enrolled into the study. The patients had already been diagnosed as HIV positive. Kappa statistic was computed as a measure of reliability of TLC. Various cut-off marks for TLC in respect of the CD4 counts were determined in addition to the computation of both sensitivity and specificity. Receiver operating curves (ROC), showing area under the curve indicating agreement in classification, were plotted. Results: Majority of patients were female (73.8%). Most of the patients were in the age range of 25 - 34 years (37.2%). Males were found to be significantly older than females (P < 0.05). Area under the receiver operating curves (ROC) revealed that 4 out of 10 patients would be missed using total lymphocyte count (TLC) as the indicator for commencement of HAART. A low correlation coefficient and Kappa statistic r = 0.18, and K = 0.20 respectively, were observed between TLCs and CD4 counts. Conclusion: Total lymphocyte count is not a suitable alternative to CD4 counts in the management of HIV/AIDS.