Table 1.
Study population
| Variable | HIV‐negative participants (n = 17) | HIV‐1‐infected participants (n = 31) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Participants (%) | 5 (30) | 12 (70) | 9 (29) | 22 (71) |
| Median age (IQR) | 31 (28·50–36·50)* | 34 (25–38·50) | 45 (37·50–46) | 37 (32·50–42·50) |
| Median CD4 count (cells/mm3) | 1050 (745–1497) | 899 (675–1032) | 436 (278·5–587,5)** | 393 (298·5–609)*** |
| CD4 > 500 cells/mm3 (n/%) | 4 (13) | 13 (42) | ||
| 350–499 cells/mm3 (n/%) | 4 (13) | 5 (16) | ||
| 200–349 cells/mm3 (n/%) | 1(3) | 4 (13) | ||
| Median viral load (Log10 copies/ml) | NA | NA | 4·66 (3·31–5·63) | 3·98 (2·56–5·04) |
*P < 0·05; **P < 0·001; ***P < 0·0001; NA, not applicable; IQR, interquartile range; n = number of participants.
A total of 31 HIV‐positive participants were recruited for this study with 71% being female and the rest (29%) male. The median ages were 37 (32·50–42·50) years for women and 45 (37·50–46) years for men. Seventeen HIV‐negative participants were recruited as controls. Relative to the controls, there was a significant reduction (P < 0·001 for men and P < 0·0001 for women) of helper CD4 counts as a consequence of antiretroviral naive HIV‐1 infection. Whereas a most participants (55%) showed no significant immune suppression (CD4 > 500 cells/mm3), 29% had mild immunosuppression (350–499 cells/mm3) and 16% had advanced immunosuppression (200–349 cells/mm3). Comparatively, female participants showed a 0·68 Log lower plasmatic viral load than male participants. All participants were in WHO clinical stage 1.