Abstract

CD4 COUNT AND VIRAL LOAD QUANTITATION OF HIV INFECTED PREGNANT AND NON PREGNANT WOMEN ON DIFFERENT ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Onyeka, P.I.K., Emmanuel, U.O., Udujih, G. O. Nwabueze E. U., Udujih H.I.*

Abstract

The present study was designed to compare the differences in the CD4 count and viral load of pregnant and non pregnant women infected with HIV, on different antiretroviral therapy. CD4 count and viral load quantitation were done using the automatic CD4 Partec Cyflow counter and Amplicor HIV-1-monitor kit respectively. Forty six human patients (pregnant patients, n = 21, non pregnant patients n = 25) were recruited during this study from the PEPFAR (President Bush Emergency Plan for Aids Research) clinic in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. The patients were between the ages of 29 – 34 years. Results showed no significant difference in both CD4 count and viral load for both groups. There was no correlation between CD4 count and viral load for both the HIV infected pregnant and non pregnant women. Findings in this study suggest that CD4 count and viral load was not affected during pregnancy because of the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy administered.

Keywords: HIV, CD4, Viral load, Antiretroviral therapy.