RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OCCURRENCES OF PENICILLIOSIS WITH CD4 LEVEL IN HIV INFECTED PATIENTS AND IMPACT ON CERTAIN HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS - ONE YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

BACKGROUND Since Manipur being a state with huge burden of HIV and AIDS, studies like these to evaluate certain uncommon opportunistic infections elsewhere which comes across in our day-to-day patient care need further evaluation for better management in times to come. Thus, this study was conducted with objective to assess the frequency of Penicilliosis cases in HIV patients in relation to the levels of CD4 count and impact on few selected haematological parameters in the referral hospital, JNIMS, Porompat, Imphal. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing 8 medical records of confirmed cases of Penicilliosis from October, 2015 to September, 2016. All the cases were evaluated in accordance with the parameters namely Age, Sex, HCV co-infections, CD4 levels and levels of haemoglobins. RESULTS Among HIV patients in this study, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was between 50 to 100 mm/1st hour. Penicilliosis was very high among the age group of 40 to 60 years (63%). The prevalence of Penicilliosis was equal in both male and female patients. Coinfection with HCV did not affect the prevalence of Penicilliosis among HIV patients (25%). Incidence of Penicilliosis was commonest (37.5%) among those patients whose CD4 counts were below 50/cu. mm. The prevalence of Penicilliosis was highest ( 63%) among patients with HIV whose haemoglobin levels were between 5 to 10 g/dL. CONCLUSIONS Penicilliosis is very frequent in the age group of 40 to 60 years. There is apparently no gender preponderance and co-infection with HCV does not affect prevalence of Penicilliosis in HIV infected patients in this study. Prevalence of Penicilliosis among HIV patients whose CD4 count below 50/cu. mm was highest in the study; however, a vast majority of patients whose CD4 count above 50/cu. mm were noted to have penicilliosis. High ESR levels were noted in majority of HIV patients with Penicilliosis in the present study.