Impact of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) on Some Immunological Indices and Quality of Life of HIV Positive Patients in Africa

Abstract

The HIV infection is one of the most global pandemic with current global estimate of 79.3 million people infected. Due to its high mortality and morbidity it threatened the existence of mankind. This was before the discovery of effective therapy which inhibits replication of the virus. Potent combination therapy called HAART is a great therapeutic advancement for management of HIV positive individuals. The combination therapy has impacted on the lives of individuals by enhancing their quality of lives. The study evaluated the impact of HAART on some immunological indices (CD₄ T-cells and WBC count) and the quality of lives of HIV positive (patients) cohort in Sokoto, Nigeria. A total of 200 samples comprising 50 controls, 50 HAART naïve, 50 on HAART for 1-6 months, and 50 on HAART for 7-12 months were enrolled into the study. CD₄ T-cell was quantified using flow cytometry via the method developed by Cassens et al. (2004) whereas WBC count was done using the method of Cheesbrough (2010). The HIV positive patient groups have significantly (P<0.05) lower levels of CD_4­ T-cells and WBC count compared to the control subjects. The 2 parameters were significantly higher in those on treatment for 7-12 months compared to other two HIV positive groups. The increases in the level of the 2 parameters are related to the duration of treatment. The result suggests that, HAART exerts a positive impact on the lives of people living with HIV by improving the levels of CD₄ T-cell and WBC count. Therefore, sustained HAART treatment by the HIV positive subjects may elevate the levels of the two immunological indices to normal levels which will improve physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of their lives.