Gender-based Early Immunological Response to Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Coastal Karnataka

Background and Objective: To compare the immunological response to antiretroviral therapy between genders and to identify other factors that could affect the immunological response. Methods: This was a prospective, observational study of 171 HIV patients with a follow-up at six months. The exposure to be measured was gender and the outcome of interest included CD4 count (immunological response) which was classified as adequate, suboptimal and immunological failure. Results: A total of 171 patients completed the study out of which 88 (51.5%) were males and 83 (48.5%) were females. Overall, 130 patients out of 171 (76.0%) showed an adequate response at the end of the first six months of ART. The response was comparable in both men and women, and no significant difference was seen (p = 0.216). Though not statistically significant, more than 80% of the patients with a baseline CD4 cell count less than 300 cells/ mm3 showed an adequate response. Also, the baseline BMI (classified as underweight, normal, overweight, obese) did not affect the immunological response significantly. Conclusion: Gender did not play a role in the immunological response following the initiation of antiretroviral therapy in treatment naïve patients. The baseline CD4 count and the baseline BMI did not significantly affect the immunological response.