ABSTRACT
Background: Usefulness of hemoglobin and albumin as prognostic markers for highly active anti-retroviral therapy for HIV-1 infection. Introduction: Anemia and hypoalbuminemia are common complications in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We aimed to investigate the changes in hemoglobin and albumin levels in response to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Further, we evaluated the appropriateness of using hemoglobin and albumin as HIV disease progression markers. Materials and Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of 122 subjects was carried out. Pre-treatment, one year, and two year post-treatment hemoglobin, and albumin levels were correlated with respective CD4+ T cell counts. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of each marker against CD4+ T cell counts were calculated in order to establish the appropriateness of use of these parameters as surrogate disease progression and prognostic markers. Results: Mean hemoglobin and albumin levels pre-, one, and two year post HAART were 9.7 g/dL, 12.1 g/dL, and 13.1 g/dL, respectively, P = 0.001; albumin: 3.7 gm%, 4.4 gm%, and 4.7 gm%, respectively, P = 0.001. There was a positive correlation between hemoglobin, albumin, and CD4+ T cell count at pre-treatment, one year, and two year post-treatment visit. Both albumin and hemoglobin had high sensitivity when compared to CD4+ T cell counts. Conclusions: Hemoglobin and albumin levels were found to increase after initiation of HAART. Hemoglobin and albumin were seen to be a strong prognostic marker of HIV disease progression at pre-, one, and two year post-treatment. Therefore, hemoglobin and albumin may be used together along with CD4 + T cell counts in HIV management, particularly in resource-poor settings.