Cardiovascular Diseases & Diagnosis

Association between CD4+ Lymphocyte Count and Left Ventricular Diastolic Function and Geometry in Newly Diagnosed Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) Naive HIV/AIDS Patients Seen at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Abaram Chesa Mankwe and Osaretan James Odia

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is one of the leading causes of acquired heart diseases and specifically of symptomatic heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension. In the clinical course of HIV infection, CD4 + count decreases with disease progression and it has been considered to be correlated with LV dysfunction in the disease process. Method: This was a cross-sectional case-control study. One hundred newly diagnosed HAART naïve HIV/ AIDS individuals seen in the retroviral clinic were evaluated clinically. One hundred age and sex matched HIV negative controls were recruited. Those with other cardiovascular risk factors were excluded. Blood samples were screened and confirmed for HIV1 and 2 infections using double ELISA. CD4 + count was estimated using the flow cytometry method. Left ventricular diastolic function and geometry were assessed using transthoracic echocardiography. Results: The mean age of cases with HIV/AIDS was 35.7 ± 10.13 years. Females were more than males in a ratio of 2.3:1. Diastolic dysfunction assessed by E/A ratio, deceleration time and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) occurred more in the cases compared to the controls (40% versus 6%) and this was statistically significant (x2=38.15, p=0.001). Abnormal geometry assessed using LVMI and RWT was commoner in the cases than in the control group and this was statistically significant (x2=25.49, p=0.01). There was an insignificant negative correlation between CD4 + count and IVRT (R=- 0.0086, P=0.393). Subjects with CD4 + count <200 cells/μL were more likely to have diastolic dysfunction (OR=1.680, P=0.2112). Lastly, there was an insignificant negative correlation between CD4 + count and LVMI (R=- 0.303, P=0.816). Subjects with CD4 + count<200 cells/μL were more likely to have abnormal geometry (OR=1.182, P=0.6312). Conclusion: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and abnormal geometry were shown in this study to be more common in people with HIV/AIDS than in the control group and there was association between degree of immunosuppression and diastolic dysfunction as well as abnormal geometry, although these were statistically not significant.