title: Difference in absolute CD4+ count according to CD4 percentage between Asian and Caucasian HIV-infected patients.
abstract: We compared the absolute CD4+ count, at different CD4+ percentages (CD4%), between Asian (n=442) and Caucasian (n=674) untreated HIV-infected individuals, using linear regression methods. At any given CD4%, Asians had lower CD4+ count than Caucasians (p=0.001). The difference varied from 38.9 cells/mm(3) (95% CI: 3.3-74.5 cells/mm(3)) at CD4% of 15% to 108.7 cells/mm(3) (95% CI: 42.5-174.9 cells/mm(3)) at CD4% of 40%. The impact of these differences on prognosis is uncertain, but it may be that the prognostic thresholds for CD4+ count used in Caucasian populations are inappropriate in Asian populations.
authors.affiliation: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Amit C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Achhra
authors.forename: Jialun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dabis
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pujari
authors.forename: Rodolphe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thiebaut
authors.forename: Matthew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonnet