CD4/CD8 RATIO AS A PREDICTOR FOR THE OCCURRENCE OF METABOLIC SYNDROME IN HIV / AIDS PATIENTS DURING 6 MONTHS OF cART THERAPY
Background: HIV infection is characterized by progressive depletion of CD4 + T cells due to their reduced synthesis and increased destruction followed by marked activation and expansion of CD8 + T lymphocytes. CD4/CD8 ratio was traditionally described as a marker of immune system ageing in the general population, but it increasingly appears as a marker of different outcomes in the HIV-infected population. The main objective of this study is to examine the power of CD4/CD8 ratio in predicting the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in HIV-positive patients receiving cART therapy. Methods: 80 HIV/AIDS subjects were included in a retro spective case-control study. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of CD4 + and CD8 + cells in peri pheral treated with antiretroviral therapy. Criteria for exclusion from the study were: subjects who at the time of therapy commencement had 3 or more criteria for MetS, an active opportunistic disease or severe infectious disease, acute or chronic inflam matory disease, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syn drome, acute or chronic kidney disease, acute or body weight and waist circumference showed no statistically significant effect on the development of MetS after six months of cART, p > 0.05. Conclusions: CD4/CD8 ratio proved to be a significant marker for prediction of metabolic syndrome in HIV/AIDS patients.