title: CD4 cell counts in human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients with tuberculosis.
abstract: We evaluated 85 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients with tuberculosis for clinical features and CD4 cell counts. Thirty-seven patients had low CD4 cell counts (mean +/- SD, 341 +/- 116 cells/microL), and 48 patients had normal CD4 cell counts (mean +/- SD, 830 +/- 254 cells/microL). CD4 cell counts were most strongly correlated with total lymphocyte counts (r = 0.84). If total lymphocyte count was excluded, depressed CD4 cell counts were significantly associated with low serum albumin levels, extensive pulmonary disease, low body-mass index, and low hematocrit. Of these four variables, multivariate linear discriminant analysis revealed that the serum albumin level was the best single predictor of low CD4 cell counts and that the other three variables did not improve predictive value. Because these four variables are markers of severe tuberculosis, these findings suggest that disease severity is associated with greater depression of the total lymphocyte and CD4 cell counts. The CD4 cell counts returned to normal levels in most patients after 1 month of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Oo
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Taikwel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Maslow
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018023:HIV Seronegativity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000145:classification