Some Haematological Abnormalities Observed In Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection At Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Peripheral blood and bone marrow changes in 50 HIV positive patients, 16 females and 34 males, were studied. The study revealed that pancytopenia was present in 6% of cases; 88% of the cases had decreased haemoglobin levels and 30% had abnormalities in the white cells, notably lymphopenia (18%); thrombocytopenia was present in 18% of the cases. 86% of the bone marrows showed abnormality. Prominent was myelodysplasia in all cell Iines in 58% of the cases. One case had bone marrow infiltration by Histoplasmosis. When compared with similar studies done elsewhere there is a close corroboration in the findings with this study. The study therefore suggests that there are consistent changes in peripheral blood and bone marrows of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.