RESEARCH PAPER
Assessment of inflammatory parameters in HIV-positive individuals under antiretroviral therapy
1
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Mersin University, Yenisehir, Turkey
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2023-12-21
Final revision date: 2024-01-09
Acceptance date: 2024-02-02
Publication date: 2026-09-25
HIV & AIDS Review 2026;25(3):210-215
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Despite a considerable reduction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load in people living with HIV (PLWH) due to the implementation of antiretroviral therapies, chronic immune activation persists, leading to ongoing inflammatory processes. The objective of this study was to assess the changes in inflammatory parameters during the initiation and first year of treatment among PLWH on different antiretroviral agents.
Material and methods:
The study enrolled a total of 149 newly HIV-diagnosed patients between 2013 and 2022, aged above 18 years. In order to evaluate inflammatory and metabolic markers, various parameters were assessed at the initiation of treatment, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT), CD4/CD8 ratio, and hemogram.
Results:
A total of 149 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 36.9 years, ranging from 16 to 65 years. Notably, platelets (p < 0.01), MPV (p = 0.039), PCT (p < 0.01), and PLR (p = 0.003) indicated statistically significant changes. However, systemic immune inflammatory index (SII), systemic immune response index (SIRI), and NLR did not show statistically significant differences.
Conclusions:
This study found that there is insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that readily calculable chronic inflammation markers, such as platelet count, MPV, and PCT, may serve as valuable tools for clinicians in resource-constrained settings when monitoring HIV-infected patients.
Despite a considerable reduction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load in people living with HIV (PLWH) due to the implementation of antiretroviral therapies, chronic immune activation persists, leading to ongoing inflammatory processes. The objective of this study was to assess the changes in inflammatory parameters during the initiation and first year of treatment among PLWH on different antiretroviral agents.
Material and methods:
The study enrolled a total of 149 newly HIV-diagnosed patients between 2013 and 2022, aged above 18 years. In order to evaluate inflammatory and metabolic markers, various parameters were assessed at the initiation of treatment, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT), CD4/CD8 ratio, and hemogram.
Results:
A total of 149 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 36.9 years, ranging from 16 to 65 years. Notably, platelets (p < 0.01), MPV (p = 0.039), PCT (p < 0.01), and PLR (p = 0.003) indicated statistically significant changes. However, systemic immune inflammatory index (SII), systemic immune response index (SIRI), and NLR did not show statistically significant differences.
Conclusions:
This study found that there is insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that readily calculable chronic inflammation markers, such as platelet count, MPV, and PCT, may serve as valuable tools for clinicians in resource-constrained settings when monitoring HIV-infected patients.
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