title: Prevalence of parasitemia and associated immunodeficiency among HIV-malaria co-infected adult patients with highly active antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the malaria parasitemia, CD4(+) cell counts and some haematological indices among HIV-malaria co-infected adult patients with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 342 adult HIV positive subjects were recruited at the consultant outpatient HIV/AIDS clinic, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria between June 2011 to November 2011. Blood samples were taken for malaria parasite count, CD4(+) cell count and other haematological counts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 342 adult HIV positive subjects a total of 254 patients (74.3%) were found to have malaria parasitemia. The incidence of malaria parasitemia increased with advancing clinical stage of HIV infection and this was statistically significant (P=0.002). There was no statistical significance when gender was compared with the HIV-malaria status (P >0.05). Of the 254 co-infected patients, 134 (52.8%) had high parasitemia (>1.25 × 10(9)/L). Sixty patients were found to be hyperparasitemic (>2.5 parasites/L). There was a significant association between CD4(+) cell count and having significant parasitemia (P < 0.000 1). About half (50.8%) of co-infected patients had CD4(+) cell count ≤ 200/μL, and majority (44.9%) of this population also had significant parasitemia. Anaemia and thrombocytopenia were not significantly associated with HIV-malaria co-infection (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of parasitemia is high among the HIV/AIDS infected patients.
authors: Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. ediomoti@yahoo.com
authors: Caroline E
authors: CE
authors: Omoti
authors: Chiedozie K
authors: CK
authors: Ojide
authors: Patrick V
authors: PV
authors: Lofor
authors: Emeka
authors: E
authors: Eze
authors: Joy C
authors: JC
authors: Eze
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents