Table 5.

Laboratory data and clinical evolution after splenectomy of 13 patients with relapsing visceral leishmaniasis

Laboratory data and clinical evolution	All patients			HIV-infected patients
	Presurgery, mean (95% CI)	Postsurgery, mean (95% CI)	P value	Presurgery, mean (95% CI)	Postsurgery, mean (95% CI)	P value
Hemoglobin*	8.1 g/dL (7.3–8.8)	10.7 g/dL (9.2–12.2)	0.002†	8.0 g/dL (7.1–8.0)	10.2 g/dL (8.7–11.7)	0.01
Hematocrit*	25.8% (23.4–28.2)	33.2% (29.1–37.2)	0.001	25.5% (22.6–28.3)	31.8% (27.7–36.0)	0.002
Leukocytes*	2,152 cells/µL (1,090–3,820)‡	11,105 cells/µL (1,703.4–20,507.8)§	0.002‖	2,190 cells/µL (1,645–2,735)‡	11,770 cells/µL (393–23,147)‡	0.003§
Platelets*	124,346 platelets/µL (99,263–149,429)	303,638.5 platelets/µL (181,258–426,019)	0.005	126,473 platelets/µL (98,966–153,980)	292,664 platelets/µL (145,045–440,283)	0.01
CD4+ count‡	69.7 cells/µL (53.1–86.3)	278.1 cells/µL (155.5–400.7)	0.003	69.7 cells/µL (53.1–86.3)	278.1 cells/µL (155.5–400.7)	0.003
Viral load‡	Below detection level	Below detection level	–	Below detection level	Below detection level	–
No. of RBC transfusions¶	5.2 (2.4–8.1)	None#	0.002	5.7 (2.4–9.0)	None#	0.003
No. of per-patient hospital admissions	0.39 (0.32–0.46)	0.05 (0.00–0.09)	0.001	0.45 (0.35–0.55)	0.05 (0.00–0.13)	0.001

CI = confidence interval; RBC = red blood cells; PKDL = post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.

^*A few days before and after splenectomy (in-hospital).

^†Student’s t test.

^‡Last before and after splenectomy (range 9–323 days before and 17–258 days after).

^§Median 2,200 cells/µL and 7,320 cells/µL, before and after splenectomy, respectively for all patents and 2,200 cells/µL and 7,450 cells/µL for HIV-infected.

^‖Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test.

^¶Excluded the transfusions performed immediately after the surgery.

# Ten days after surgery.