Correlation Between Peripheral Blood Tlymphocyte Activation Subgroup and Viral Load in HIV/AIDS Patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the correlation between peripheral blood T lymphocyte activation subgroup expression and viral load in HIV/AIDS patients.

Methods: From June to August in 2012, we selected 322 HIV-infected patients and 87 AIDS patients from an AIDS high-prevalence area in Henan Province. Peripheral blood T lymphocyte and its activation subgroup and plasma viral load of HIV-infected patients and AIDS patients were detected respectively using flow cytometry and full-automatic viral load instrument. According to viral load level, we divided the subjects into Ⅰ-Ⅳ group.

Results: HIV-infected patients and AIDS patients were not significantly different in the relative value of CD ⁺ ₃T cell and CD ⁺ ₂₈/CD ⁺ ₄ (P＞0.05). HIV-infected patients were higher in the absolute and relative value of lymphocyte, the absolute value of CD ⁺ ₃T cell, the absolute value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₈T cell, the absolute and relative value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₄T cell and the absolute value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₄CD ⁺ ₈T cell and lower in the relative value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₈T than AIDS patients (P＜0.05); HIV-infected patients were higher in the ratio of helper T cell and suppressor T cell (H/S) and CD ⁺ ₂₈/CD ⁺ ₈ and lower in CD ⁺ ₃8/CD ⁺ ₈ than AIDS patients (P＜0.05). The four groups were significantly different in the absolute value and relative value of lymphocyte, the relative value of CD ⁺ ₃T cell, the relative value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₈T cell, the absolute and relative value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₄T cell, H/S, CD ⁺ ₂₈/CD ⁺ ₄, CD ⁺ ₂₈/CD ⁺ ₈ and CD ⁺ ₃8/CD ⁺ ₈ (P＜0.05). The relative value of CD ⁺ ₃T cell, relative value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₈T cell and CD ⁺ ₃8/CD ⁺ ₈, were positively correlated with the viral load level (rs=0.128, 0.291, 0.409; P＜0.05). The absolute and relative value of CD ⁺ ₃CD ⁺ ₄T, and H/S、CD ⁺ ₂₈/CD ⁺ ₄、CD ⁺ ₂₈/CD ⁺ ₈ were negative correlated with the viral load level (r _s = -0.246, -0.318, -0.297, -0.184, -0.204; P＜0.05).

Conclusion: There are changes in the activated process of T lymphocyte in HIV-infected and AIDS patients; with the change of viral load level, difference occurs between HIV-infected and AIDS patients in the level of T lymphocyte activation subgroup.