Profile of abnormal erythrocyte in patients living with HIV: case of the Douala General Hospital (Cameroon)

CaHReF 20116, Yaoundé Conges hall, 23 – 26 August 2016 , PL065

Those infected with HIV without antiretroviral treatment (ART) have a high prevalence abnormalities of blood cells. HIV-1 induced dyserythropoiesis in conjunction with the effects of HIV related inflammation and/or chronic immune activation. The objective of the study is to identify and characterize the different red cell morphological changes that occur during the evolution of HIV infection in patients according to clinical, biological and therapeutic variables.

This cross-sectional and descriptive study of patients infected by HIV was conducted at the Douala General Hospital (Cameroon). For all the patients included, blood samples were taken in EDTA tubes for a full blood counts (FBC) and blood films. Chi-square test was used to compare the variables and the statistical significance level adopted was p-value under 0.05.

The majority (3/4 or 180) of patients in our study, had abnormal quantitative or qualitative red blood cells, giving a prevalence of 77.5%. The mean value of hemoglobin was 11.9 g/dl with a prevalence of anemia at 61.2% for all participants. The main red cells abnormalities were the anisocytosis (43.1%), the anisochromia (34.5%), the macrocytosis (24.1%), the microcytosis (13.8%), the hypochromia (12.9%) and the poikilocytosis (12.5%). These abnormalities are statistically significant and are dependent on the severity of the anemia, the WHO clinical stage, the ART duration and the medication regime with all P<0.05.
The frequency of abnormal erythrocyte is high during HIV infection and proportional to the severity of the anemia, the duration of antiretroviral therapy diet and its clinical evolution stage. We suggest that reading blood films is systematic of FBC prescription in the monitoring of HIV-infected patients

Erythrocyte profile, PLHIV, General Hospital of Douala, Cameroon.