Evaluation of the World Health Organization staging system for HIV infection and disease in Ethiopia: association between clinical stages and laboratory markers

Abstract

There was a good correlation between WHO clinical stages and biological markers. CD4+ T-cell counts were low in Ethiopians, particularly during early stages of HIV-1 infection, and preliminary reference values at different stages of HIV-1 infection were determined. In HIV-infected Ethiopians, lymphocyte counts less than 1,000 x 10(6)/l in non-hospitalized individuals, and less than 2,000 x 10(6)/l in hospitalized patients, had high positive predictive value, but low sensitivity, in identifying subjects with low CD4+ T-cell counts (< 200 x 10(6)/l) who would benefit from chemoprophylaxis of opportunistic infections. The on-going longitudinal study will be useful to confirm the prognostic value of the WHO staging system.