Increase of (≥) 50 CD4(+) T cells/μl in post-commencement of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is acceptable as indicator of therapeutic success (TS). We therefore hypothesized that median change in CD4 count of the TS and therapeutic failure (TF) groups were comparable after 3 months; and that no associations existed between HAART outcome and adherence to therapy. One hundred Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected antiretroviral (ARV) naive men on lamivudine + stavudine + nevirapine at Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria were studied. Data of the men were obtained with interviewer-administered questionnaire forms. Their ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA)-treated whole blood samples were analysed with Partec CyFlow(®) Counter for pre-HAART and follow-up CD4 counts. Adherence to the ARV regimen was recorded for each patient as self-reported. We used Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon's matched pair and CHI(2) statistical tests for analyses. Overall adherence rate was 95.0%. Though the median follow-up CD4 count was higher (P = 0.001) than the pre-HAART value; only 85% of the men attained TS (increase of ≥50 cells/μl) at follow-up. Median change in CD4 count (+104.0 cells/μl; n = 85) of the TS was higher (P = 0.001) than that (-8.0 cells/μl; n = 15) of TF group; the two groups were however, comparable in age (P = 0.17) and body weight (P = 0.96). Only adherence and pre-HAART CD4 counts were associated (P = 0.001) with HAART outcome; while only age apparently influenced (P = 0.01) adherence rate. Eighty-five percent of the men benefited from the HAART. The success was apparently due to adherence and less than or (≤) 200 pre-HAART CD4 counts; while age ≥40 years appearently reduced adherence level.
Keywords: Adherence; Antiretroviral therapy; CD4 count; Men; Nigeria.