CDC staging based on absolute CD4 count and CD4 percentage in an HIV-1-infected Indian population: treatment implications

CD4⁺ T‐cell levels are an important criterion for categorizing HIV‐related clinical conditions according to the CDC classification system and are therefore important in the management of HIV by initiating antiretroviral therapy and prophylaxis for opportunistic infections due to HIV among HIV‐infected individuals. However, it has been observed that the CD4 counts are affected by the geographical location, race, ethnic origin, age, gender and changes in total and differential leucocyte counts. In the light of this knowledge, we classified 600 HIV seropositive antiretroviral treatment (ART)‐naïve Indian individuals belonging to different CDC groups A, B and C on the basis of CDC criteria of both CD4% and CD4 counts and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated. Importantly, CDC staging on the basis of CD4% indicated significant clinical implications, requiring an early implementation of effective antiretroviral treatment regimen in HIV‐infected individuals deprived of treatment when classified on the basis of CD4 counts.