Abstract:
Background. Malaria and HIV/AIDS infections are among the major public health concerns in sub-Saharan Africa, where they are
associated with high morbidity and mortality. Recent findings indicate that individual people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with
lower levels of CD4 T-cell count below 200/mm 3 tend to experience higher mean malaria parasite densities than their counterparts
with higher CD4 T-cells counts. Aim. The study was conducted to assess the pattern of malaria parasite density at different levels
of CD4 T-cells among people living with HIV/AIDS in Western part of Kenya. Subjects and Methods. A randomized antimalarial
treatment study among 126 people living with HIV/AIDS was conducted at Chulaimbo Sub-County Hospital, Western Kenya. All
the participants enrolled into the study had their blood samples assessed for malaria parasite densities before commencement of
antimalarial therapy and the results correlated with their CD4 T-cells levels obtained from their respective files. Results. Mean
malaria parasite density on pretreatment samples was 43,168 parasites /μL of blood, median was 17,720, and mode was 4,000. Male
participants had a higher geometrical mean parasite density (26,424) compared to females’ (15,346) (p = 0.03). Low CD4 counts
were associated with high density malaria parasitaemia and consequently, very high CD4 counts seemed to exhibit low malaria
parasite density among PLWHA. An insignificant negative correlation, however, between CD4 T-cells count and malaria parasite
densities was noted (p = 0.169). Conclusion. The study was able to establish higher parasite density among individuals with ≤200
cells/μL than their counterparts with >200 cells/μL of CD4 T-cell levels in PLWHA resident in Western Kenya. Secondly, males
significantly had a higher geometrical mean parasite density than females regardless of their CD4 status. It is anticipated that the
results from this study could be used/applied in developing interventional measures to address malaria/HIV-AIDS coinfections
aimed at saving life, particularly in the sub-Saharan African region where the two infections are rampant.
