Serial CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocyte counts and associated mortality in an HIV-2-infected population in Guinea-Bissau

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes and human retrovirology Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 355
• Main Authors: Lisse, I M, Poulsen, A G, Aaby, P, Knudsen, K, Dias, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.1996
• Subjects: Adult; CD4-CD8 Ratio; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Cohort Studies; Female; Guinea-Bissau - epidemiology; HIV Seropositivity - immunology; HIV Seropositivity - mortality; HIV-2 - immunology; Humans; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocyte Subsets; Male; Prospective Studies; Urban Population; Guinea-Bissau
• ISSN: 1077-9450
• DOI: 10.1097/00042560-199612010-00009

In an urban community in Guinea-Bissau, we followed a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) seropositive individuals (N = 47) and seronegative controls (N = 82). T-lymphocyte subset determinations were done in 1988, 1990, and 1992. Serial determinations of CD4 percentages, CD8 percentages, and CD4/CD8 ratios for the same individual were stable for 31 seropositive and 51 seronegative individuals with repeated measurements. We found no significant differences in the changes during a 2- or 4-year period in CD4 percentages, CD8 percentages, absolute CD8 T-lymphocyte counts, CD4/CD8 ratio, white blood cell counts, lymphocyte percentages, and absolute lymphocyte counts for HIV-2-seropositive compared with HIV-2-seronegative individuals. Only absolute CD4 T-lymphocyte counts changed more for the HIV-2-seropositive than for HIV-2-seronegative individuals (p = 0.037). HIV-2-infected individuals who lived with an HIV-2-infected spouse had a lower CD4/CD8 ratio and had higher mortality than HIV-2 infected individuals who lived with an uninfected spouse. However, there were no significant differences in immunological and hematological values for the 8 HIV-2 seropositive individuals who died and the 39 who survived in the 8-year follow-up period. In conclusion, progression of immunosuppression in HIV-2 infection seems to be slower than in HIV-1 infection and may not be inevitable in all individuals.