Assessment of Haematological Parameters in Anti-Retroviral Therapy (Art)-Naïve HIV Positive Children in Enugu, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT The Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the most important emerging infections of this century. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) which is a systemic disorder characterized by deficiency in cellular immune responses. Haematological complications that accompanied HIV infections have been documented to be the second most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children. The haematological complications such as anaemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia are associated with HIV disease progression and reduced survival. Hence, this study sought to assess the haematological parameters in HIV positive ART-naïve children and compare with the HIV negative children. This study was a prospective observational study involving a total of 200 children (100 test subjects and 100 test controls). Biodata was collected with a proforma designed by the researcher. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for full blood count (FBC) and CD4 counts. Data generated were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SSPS) version 22. The result showed that anaemia with a prevalence of 60%, is significantly associated with HIV infections unlike neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. It was also shown that the age of the children was inversely and significantly associated with anaemia but not with neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Likewise, CD4 count was inversely and significantly xv associated with anaemia. It is concluded that anaemia is quite common and more prominent with decreasing age of the children and it is recommended that haemoglobin concentration less than 10mg/dl can be used as one of the criteria for commencement of anti-retroviral medications especially in resource poor centers or localities where CD4 count is not readily available.