Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research

Nutritional Status and CD4 Cell Counts in HIV/AIDS Patients under Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Daniel Getacher Feleke, Nebiyou Yemanebrhane and Daniel Gebretsadik

Introduction: The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy significantly improved the life expectancy and quality of life of HIV infected people. However, malnutrition is still a concern. The Nutritional status of HIV/AIDS patients and HIV disease progression association should be thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of nutritional status and CD4 cell counts in HIV/AIDs patients who are under HAART in Zewditu Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method: This cross sectional study was conducted on 395 HIV/AIDS patients taking HAART in Zewditu Memorial Hospital from January to June 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Socio-demographic information was collected using structured data collection sheet. Weight and Height of all HIV/AIDS patients were measured. Venous blood samples were collected using EDTA tubes for the determination of CD4, albumin and total protein. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 software. Chi-square test for the association between dependent and independent variables and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the role of confounding variables were performed. The level of significance was set to 0.05 (α=5%). Results: The male to female ratio was 0.69:1. The mean age was 39.1 ± 10.15 years. The prevalence of malnutrition based on BMI was 60 (15.2%) with the mean BMI of 22.88 kg/m² (SD 4.17kg/m²). Three hundred thirty six (85.1%) CD4 cell counts were >200 cells/mm. Albumin level, BMI, opportunistic infection status and total protein level were not significantly associated with diminished CD4 cell counts (P value>0.05). The CD4 cell count was significantly associated with patients WHO AIDS stage (P-value=0.008) and year on HAART (P=0.048). Conclusion: Although there was no statistically significant association between nutritional status and CD4 cell counts, malnutrition is continued as a problem in HIV/AIDS patients taking HAART. So regular follow-up mainly nutritional and opportunistic infections assessment is necessary.