Evaluation of Predictive CD4 Count and Clinical Reliability in Detecting Cryptococcus Neoformans at Kenyatta National Hospital
Keywords:
CD4 T cell count, Cryptococcus neoformans;, ; Cryptococcal meningitis, HIVAbstract
Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) caused by Cryptococcus neoformans is increasingly becoming a fatal fungal infection, especially among HIV/AIDS patients. This is because the HIV virus targets and destroys CD4 T cells (core cellular immune effector cells) thus causing immunosuppression. The objective of the study was to determine occurrence of CM, CD4T cells counts and assays, in patients either suspected or confirmed to have cryptococcal meningitis. The cross-sectional study design involved 51 HIV patients from KNH, during August-September 2008, sampled using Java and Applets method (2006). Results showed that CD4 T cells count among all the patients suspected to be infected with cryptococcal meningitis ranged from 0-937 cells/µL; majority had CD4 counts of ≤200 cells/µL. Since 43% of HIV patients with cryptococcal meningitis had CD4 counts of ≤143 cells/µL, a CD4 count of 143 cells/µL should be used as the lower limit below which HIV patients should be given prophylactic drugs for the disease, regardless of the prevailing clinical features seen in the affected patients
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