Table 1.
Characteristics of healthy uninfected controls and HIV-infected patients (naïve and under ART)
| Control | Naïve | ART-treated | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 26 | 15 | 15 | – |
| Gender (men) | 9/26 (34.62%) | 13/15 (86.67%) ** | 12/15 (80.00%) ** | 0.002 |
| Age (years) | 43.58 ± 2.31 | 33.87 ± 2.85 * | 43.67 ± 3.39 | 0.033 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.30 ± 0.69 | 23.23 ± 1.05 | 23.51 ± 0.85 | 0.616 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 85.35 ± 2.55 | 83.83 ± 2.86 | 85.13 ± 2.15 | 0.916 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 120.58 ± 2.76 | 135.67 ± 5.67 * | 129.73 ± 6.02 | 0.050 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 72.19 ± 1.94 | 81.87 ± 3.31 * | 77.80 ± 3.24 | 0.035 |
| Alcohol active | 3/26 (11.54%) | 0/15 (0.00%) | 1/15 (6.67%) | 0.578 |
| Smoking active | 3/26 (11.54%) | 7/15 (46.67%) * | 10/15 (66.67%) *** | 0.001 |
| CD4 (cells/µl) | – | 464.07 ± 76.46 | 850.53 ± 101.68 | 0.006 |
| CD4/CD8 ratio | – | 0.53 ± 0.13 | 0.84 ± 0.10 | 0.027 |
| Mode of transmission | – | HS: 6/15 (40.00%) | HS: 7/15 (46.67%) | 0.716 |
| – | MSM: 9/15 (60.00%) | MSM: 7/15 (46.67%) | ||
| – | Parenteral: 0/15 (0.00%) | Parenteral: 1/15 (6.66%) | ||
| AIDS | – | 1/15 (6.67%) | 0/15 (0.00%) | 1 |
| Coinfection with HCV | – | 0/15 (0.00%) | 2/15 (13.33%) | 0.483 |
| Coinfection with HBV | – | 0/15 (0.00%) | 0/15 (0.00%) | 1 |
Qualitative variables are represented in percentage while quantitative variables are represented as mean ± standard error mean. P value refers to the comparison between two (naïve vs. ART) or three (control vs. naïve vs. ART) groups, as appropriate. Statistically significant p values are in italics. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences with respect to control group (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001)
AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, ART antiretroviral treatment, BMI body mass index, HS heterosexual, MSM men who have sex with men