TABLE 1.
Immunological characteristics and age distribution of the study groupsa
| Characteristic | Control | Mild | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of subjects | 15 | 27 | 25 |
| White cell count (no. of cells [103]/μl) | 9.0 ± 0.7 | 9.6 ± 0.9 | 7.9 ± 0.5 |
| PMNs | |||
| Count (no. of PMNs [103]/μl) | 2.5 ± 0.2 | 3.7 ± 0.5 | 2.8 ± 0.4 |
| Percentage | 28.6 ± 2.8 | 37.8 ± 2.3b | 34.9 ± 2.7 |
| CD4 cells | |||
| Count (no. of cells/μl) by age | 2,180 ± 320 | 1,143 ± 198b | 528 ± 105b |
| 0–24 mo | 2,819 ± 562 (n = 7) | 2,909 ± 304 (n = 6) | 903 ± 214 (n = 8)b |
| 24–60 mo | 1,847 ± 335 (n = 5) | 986 ± 185 (n = 9)b | 448 ± 161 (n = 10)b |
| 60+ mo | 1,244 ± 51 (n = 3) | 436 ± 65 (n = 12)b | 239 ± 55 (n = 7)b |
| Percentage by age | 38.2 ± 1.9 | 22.2 ± 1.8b | 12.6 ± 2.4b |
| 0–24 mo | 40.2 ± 3.2 (n = 7) | 33.9 ± 1.7 (n = 6) | 18.5 ± 5.2 (n = 8)b |
| 24–60 mo | 34.8 ± 0.8 (n = 5) | 25.3 ± 1.4 (n = 9)b | 8.3 ± 2.6 (n = 10)b |
| 60+ mo | 39.4 ± 6.2 (n = 3) | 14.0 ± 2.3 (n = 12)b | 8.9 ± 1.7 (n = 7)b |
| CD8 cells | |||
| Count (no. of cells/μl) | 1,468 ± 213 | 2,058 ± 240 | 2,322 ± 264b |
| Percentage | 26.6 ± 1.7 | 46.2 ± 2.5b | 58.0 ± 2.9b |
| CD4:CD8 ratio | 1.55 ± 0.15 | 0.60 ± 0.09b | 0.26 ± 0.06b |
| HIV viral load (log no. of RNA copies/ml) | 4.57 ± 0.15 | 5.33 ± 0.14 |
a
Results are expressed as the mean ± standard error of the mean.
b
Significant differences (P < 0.05) when results for the mild and severe disease groups are compared to those for the control group.