Usefulness of CD4+:: Cd8+Ratio as prognostic marker in HIV infected Indian population

The absolute CD4(+) lymphocyte level is a central aspect in the immunopathology following HIV infection, and hence is an important end point irrespective of the clinical signs and symptoms shown by each infected individual. Further, the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio is also considered to be a sensitive indicator of HIV disease progression. CD4(+) T-cell level of 377 HIV seropositive subjects were estimated among which, 111 HIV seropositive subjects were also simultaneously evaluated for CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio. The lymphocyte subset analysis was performed using FACS Calibur (BD) flow cytometer dual-colour immunophenotyping, four-tube panel and CellQUEST software. For CDC group A, B, C the median CD4(+) counts/ml was 383, 251 and 205 respectively while the ratio was found to be 0.44, 0.27 and 0.22 respectively. It was observed that there is discordance between CD4(+) counts and CD4(+) percentage in the early stages of HIV infection where CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio appears to be more relevant marker.