| Summary: | Jamil A Al-Mughales1,2 1Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Clinical Laboratories-Diagnostic Immunology Division, King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Jamil A Al-Mughales, Tel +966126408405 ; +966505598324, Email jmughales@kau.edu.saObjective: This study aimed to test the validity of a composite score using complete blood count (CBC) for monitoring HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the absence of viral load and CD4 count.Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed the laboratory data of 82 HIV patients who had pre- and post-treatment viral load, CD4 count, and CBC data. Pre- and post-treatment data were pooled to analyze the correlation of CBC parameters with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) ranks and their performance in indicating a CD4 count< 200 cells/mm3 using the Operating Characteristics Curve (ROC), with the determination of cutoffs. A score combining the significant parameters was tested to predict a CD4 count of < 200.Results: Total lymphocyte count (TLC), percentage (TLP), and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) were the most significant parameters, showing negative correlations with PCR (Spearman’s Rho = − 0.357 to − 0.242). The risk of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was independently associated with TLC< 1345 cells/mm3 (OR=2.92), TLP< 29.07% (OR=3.53), and Hb< 10.55 mg/dL (OR=3.60). A combined score of 2– 3 indicated a CD4 count< 200 with an odds ratio of 8.3– 86.7.Conclusion: The proposed 3-parameter score combining the use of TLC, TLP, and Hb, is an affordable and practical approach that may have clinical utility in monitoring HIV patients receiving ART in low-resource settings.Keywords: lymphocytes, hemoglobin, hematology, HIV, antiretroviral, monitoring
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