HAEMATOLOGICAL CHANGES IN HIV INFECTION

Determination and assessment of Hemogram’s parameters of patients diagnosed with HIV. We studied 104 seropositive HIV patients, aged 18-65 years, diagnosed in infectious Disease Service at the University Hospital Center "Mother Teresa" in Tirana, during the period January 2008 - January 2013. The Hemogram was examined to all the patients at the time of diagnosis. There were excluded from the study all patients under antiretroviral therapy (ART) Blood was collected in a sterile EDTA containing tube and processed following our established laboratory protocol. Haematology parameters were analysed in haematology auto analyser Sysmex KX-21 which analyses using three detector blocks. White blood cell (WBC) count, red blood cell (RBC) count and platelets are measured using direct current detection method. Differential leucocyte count was done on peripheral smear stained with Giemsa stain. Data were analyzed with SPSS statistical program. Considering the slight to moderate anemia the values of Hb of 8-12 g/dL and severe anemia the values of Hb of <8 g/dl, we found that 40.4% of patients had slight to moderate anemia while only 1% had severe anemia. Out of 43 patients with anemia 83% of them had normochromic, normocytic anemia. 17.3% of patients had leucopenia, while 80.8% of patients had normal values of leucocytes. Lymphopenia was found in 12.3% of patients, while granulopenia in 10.5% of them. 14.7% of patients had thrombocytopenia. Slight to moderate normochromic, normocytic anemia is the most frequent change in patients diagnosed with HIV. Thrombocytopenia can be the first appearance of hematological changes in patients diagnosed with HIV. Leucopenia, lymphopenia and granulocytopenia are important changes of hemogram of patients infected with HIV.