Evaluation of inflammatory parameters in HIV positive individuals with background

Although HIV viral load is significantly suppressed in individuals living with HIV (PLWH) with the introduction of antiretroviral therapies (ART), inflammatory processes that cause chronic immune activation continue. We aimed to analyze the change in inflammatory parameters in PLWH treated with different antiretroviral agents, at the start of treatment and at the first year of treatment. A total of 149 PLWHs older than 18 years of age, who were followed up in the Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Outpatient Clinic of Mersin University Medical Faculty Hospital and were newly diagnosed between 2013 and 2022, were included in the study. At the beginning of treatment, inflammatory and metabolic markers Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Systemic Inflammatory Index (SII), Systemic Immune Response Index (SIRI), Mean Platelet Volume (MPV), Platecrit (PCT), C -Reactive Protein (CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESH), Low Density Lipoprotein / High Density Protein (LDL/HDL), CD4/CD8 and hemogram were obtained by retrospectively scanning the hospital database. The change in markers 1 year after ART use was calculated and also compared between different ART regimens. The virological success rate after 1 year of treatment was 98.7%. While PLR and ESR were statistically significantly decreased in PLWHs with suppressed viremia under ART regimen (p=0.003, p=0.006; respectively), a statistically significant increase was found in MPV, PCT, and CD4/CD8 (p=0.039, p< 0.001), p<0.001; respectively). PLR was significantly decreased in the regimens using ABC+3TC+DTG, TAF+FTC+BIC and TDF+FTC+DTG (p=0.033, p=0.036, p=0.046, respectively). The LDL/HDL ratio increased significantly only in the group receiving TAF+FTC+c+EVG (p=0.002). In conclusion, although there are costly tests such as CD4/CD8 and HIV RNA to predict the degree of chronic inflammation in PLWHs, inexpensive, easy-to-calculate biomarkers such as PLR that can guide clinicians in areas with limited resources may be appropriate inflammatory markers in diagnosis and follow-up.