Table 1.
CD4+ T-Cell Counts and HIV Load in Participants Prior to Initiation of ART by Whether Discordant Shedding Was or Was Not Detected During ART Suppression
| Characteristic | With DS, median (IQR)(Women n = 9; Men n = 15)a | Without DS, median (IQR)(Women n = 25; Men n = 33)a | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | |||
| Age, y | 29 (24–32) | 35 (30–41) | .02b |
| Plasma HIV RNA, log10 copies/mL | 5.18 (4.62–5.80) | 5.09 (4.62–5.53) | .51 |
| CD4+, T cells/μL | 132 (83–228) | 133 (42–206) | .56 |
| HIV DNA in PBMC, log10 copies/106 cells | 3.02 (2.67–3.28) | 3.33 (3.08–3.49) | .07 |
| Cervicovaginal lavage HIV RNA, log10 copies/mL | 3.27 (1.79–4.22) | 1.96 (1.00–2.72) | .03 |
| Men | |||
| Age, y | 29 (27–37) | 37 (31–41) | .03 |
| CD4+, T cells/μL | 110 (48–204) | 123 (41–196) | .99 |
| Plasma HIV RNA, log10 copies/mL | 5.34 (4.84–5.87) | 5.43 (4.87–5.95) | .38 |
| HIV DNA in PBMC, log10 copies/106 cells | 3.44 (3.15–3.62) | 3.20 (2.80–3.50) | .55 |
| Seminal plasma HIV RNA, log10 copies/mL | 4.08 (3.43–5.08) | 4.24 (3.64–5.12) | .51 |
| Rectal secretions HIV RNA, log10 copies/mL | 5.08 (4.18–5.38) | 6.00 (6.00–6.00) | .04 |
Abbreviations: ART, antiretroviral treatment; DS, discordant shedding; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; LTR, long terminal repeat; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
aMen without DS contributed fewer specimens to the following: HIV DNA PBMC log10 copies/106 cells n = 33; seminal plasma HIV RNA n = 32; TearFlow secretions n = 11; and for those with DS: HIV DNA PBMC LTR log10 copies/106 cells n = 13; seminal plasma HIV RNA n = 13; rectal secretions n = 3.
bP value that are considered statistically significant are indicated in bold.