THE PATTERN OF CD4+ T-LYMPHOCYTE COUNTS IN CHILDREN AGED 6 MONTHS TO 5 YEARS WITH PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION AT UDUTH, SOKOTO, NIGERIA

Abstract

Protein-energy malnutrition, a major public health problem in the developing
countries, has been associated with impaired cell-mediated immunity. Reduced CD4+
Tlymphocyte counts were thought to be partly responsible for the impaired immune response.
There is paucity of published data and inconclusive reports on the CD4+ T-lymphocyte count
in children with PEM in the developing countries.
The objectives of the study were to determine the pattern of CD4+ T-lymphocyte count
among children aged 6 months to 5 years with PEM, to compare the levels of CD4+ T
lymphocyte count among children with PEM with the well-nourished children. The
relationship between the levels of CD4+ T-lymphocyte count and the clinical types of PEM
was also determined.
The two study groups were comparable in age (p= 0.53) and sex (p= 0.65). The mean
CD4+ T-lymphocyte count in children with PEM was 1705.5±605.6 cells/µL as compared to
2314.3±491.1 cells/µL among the controls (p= 0.0001). The mean CD4+ Tlymphocyte count
decreases as the age increases (r= – 0.2, p= 0.04) . The inverse relationship between the age
and the CD4+ T-lymphocyte count was also seen in the control group (r= – 0.52, p= 0.0001).
There was significant difference in the mean CD4+ T-lymphocyte count of the different
types of PEM with the highest value observed among children with kwashiorkor
(2097.7±712.9 cells/µL) and lowest value observed among those with marasmus
(1449.3±368.2 cells/µL). There was a significant relationship between the clinical types of
PEM and the CD+ T-lymphocyte counts (p= 0.001).

It was concluded, from this study, that the CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts were lower
among the children with PEM compared to the well-nourished under five children with a
significant relationship between the clinical types of PEM and the CD4+ T–lymphocyte count.
It is, therefore, recommended that further studies should be conducted in other centres
in Nigeria to establish the possible relationship between the CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts and
subtypes of protein-energy malnutrition.

THE PATTERN OF CD4+ T-LYMPHOCYTE COUNTS IN CHILDREN AGED 6 MONTHS TO 5 YEARS WITH PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION AT UDUTH, SOKOTO, NIGERIA