Comparison of demographic and laboratory characteristics of PLWHA in different immunological response statuses
| Variables | Without immunological response (n=101) | With immunological response (n=225) | P value |
| Categorical variables | |||
| Gender | 0.210 | ||
| Male | 89 (88.1) | 186 (82.7) | |
| Ethnicity | 0.267 | ||
| Han Chinese | 100 (99.0) | 216 (96.0) | |
| Other | 1 (1.0) | 9 (4.0) | |
| Occupation | 0.189 | ||
| Farmers | 33 (32.7) | 84 (37.3) | |
| Service industry | 11 (10.9) | 30 (13.3) | |
| Worker category | 35 (34.7) | 49 (21.8) | |
| To be employed | 7 (6.9) | 20 (8.9) | |
| Other | 15 (14.9) | 42 (18.7) | |
| Education level | 0.227 | ||
| Primary school or under | 35 (34.7) | 62 (27.6) | |
| Middle and high school | 53 (52.5) | 119 (52.9) | |
| College or above | 13 (12.9) | 44 (19.6) | |
| History of venereal disease | 0.576 | ||
| None | 84 (83.2) | 182 (80.9) | |
| Yes | 16 (15.8) | 42 (18.7) | |
| Not available | 1 (1.0) | 1 (0.4) | |
| Route of infection | 0.505 | ||
| MSM | 43 (42.6) | 87 (38.7) | |
| HR | 58 (57.4) | 138 (61.3) | |
| Contact history | 0.359 | ||
| History of men who have sex with men | 37 (36.6) | 73 (32.4) | |
| Sexual contact occurring out of wedlock | 60 (59.4) | 134 (59.6) | |
| Sexual contact with a partner | 4 (4.0) | 18 (8.0) | |
| Marital status | 0.368 | ||
| Unmarried | 31 (30.7) | 70 (31.1) | |
| Married or with a spouse | 46 (45.5) | 116 (51.6) | |
| Divorced or widowed | 24 (23.8) | 39 (17.3) | |
| Regimens | 0.876 | ||
| 3TC+AZT+EFV | 18 (17.8) | 35 (15.6) | |
| 3TC+EFV+TDF | 77 (76.2) | 176 (78.2) | |
| Other | 6 (5.9) | 14 (6.2) | |
| Infection status | 0.002 | ||
| AIDS | 21 (20.8) | 86 (38.2) | |
| HIV | 80 (79.2) | 139 (61.8) | |
| Sample source | 0.964 | ||
| Preoperative testing | 24 (23.8) | 53 (23.6) | |
| Testing consultancy | 20 (19.8) | 50 (22.2) | |
| Other attendee testing | 25 (24.8) | 52 (23.1) | |
| Other | 32 (31.7) | 70 (31.1) | |
| WHO Clinical Classification | 0.228 | ||
| I or II | 99 (98.0) | 224 (99.6) | |
| III or IV | 2 (2.0) | 1 (0.4) | |
| Continuous variables | |||
| Age (years) | 43.0 (30.0–56.0) | 40.0 (29.0–52.0) | 0.368 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.5 (20.0–24.8) | 21.9 (20.0–23.8) | 0.392 |
| First CD4 cell counts (pcs/uL) | 382.0 (246.0–477.0) | 237.0 (155.0–325.0) | <0.001 |
| CD8 cell counts (pcs/uL) | 572.0 (466.2–779.0) | 691.0 (487.5–975.4) | 0.027 |
| AST (U/L) | 23.0 (19.4–28.0) | 23.0 (18.6–29.6) | 0.844 |
| ALT (U/L) | 24.8 (16.0–37.2) | 25.0 (17.6–39.0) | 0.495 |
| SCR (μmol/L) | 70.3 (59.0–78.1) | 70.9 (62.0–80.6) | 0.539 |
| HB (g/L) | 146.5 (134.5–156.0) | 149.0 (135.0–159.0) | 0.240 |
| PLT (109/L) | 199.5 (166.5–240.5) | 210.0 (171.0–241.0) | 0.287 |
| WBC (109/L) | 5.2 (4.3–6.2) | 5.8 (4.7–6.9) | 0.015 |
| Time from diagnosis to start of treatment (days) | 13.0 (12.0–25.0) | 12.0 (8.0–19.0) | 0.059 |
Note: Information on continuous variables: none followed a normal distribution, statistical description using median (lower quartile, upper quartile) and Mann-Whitney test to compare differences between groups. Information on categorical variables: statistical description using frequency (composition ratio), χ2 test on R x C scale or Fisher’s exact probability method to compare differences between groups.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; CD4, CD4+ T lymphocyte; CD8, CD8+ T lymphocyte; HB, haemoglobin; HR, heterosexual transmission; MSM, men who have sex with men; PLT, platelets; PLWHA, people living with HIV/AIDS; SCR, serum creatinine; 3TC+AZT+EFV, zidovudine + efavirenz + lamivudine; 3TC+EFV+TDF, lamivudine + efavirenz + tenofovir.; WBC, white blood cells.