CD4 Monitoring in HIV Infected Patients not Eligible for Receiving ARV in 2004 - 2006

Abstract

The objectives of this study was to encourage for continuously periodic CD4 count in asymptomatic patients. HIV infected patients who had been treated in 30 hospitals in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phayao whose CD4 count > 200 and had no symptom according to 506/1 report were recruited for the study. Classifying for CD4 count tests were as follows: every 6 month for patients with CD4 > 300, every 4 months for those with CD4 = 251 - 300 and every 2 months for those with CD4 = 200 - 250 cell/mm3. CD4 level monitoring and related variables such as patient's characteristic, basic health care information, sexual behaviors, opportunistic infections and other risk factors were collected for 2 years time. It was found that there were 2,140 HIV infected patients recruited in this study of which 1,525 cases were group A (CD4 > 300 cell/mm3 ); 319 cases were group B (250 < CD4 < 300 cell/mm3) and 296 cases were group C (200 < CD4 < 250 cell/mm3). About 63.6 % were female; the incident of opportunistic infections (OI) were 0.8/100PY and median survival time before starting ARV in was 14, 7 and 2 for the Group A, B and C respectively. Group A is significantly different from others (P < 0.05) but group B and C is not .(P = 0.85). Median CD4 of all samples who started ARV drug was 175.3 cell/mm3. 38.5% of HIV/AIDS patients participated as a member in Day Care Center and 51.0 % of HIV/AIDS patients who have sex with partner used condom every times. The advantages of CD4 monitoring project contain to increase CD4 level at starting ARV in HIV infected patients in order to reduce side effects of ARV using, and enhance the achievement of HIV treatment due to increasingly and easily access CD4 monitoring service. Including, HIV infected patients were educated and received treatment and care continuously to reduce risk factors.