Correlation of hepatobiliary ultrasound findings with CD4+ count and viral load in adult patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome in South-East Nigeria

Background: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) belongs to a cytopathic retrovirus that cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) over time. Due to the suppression of the immune system by this retrovirus, many disease processes may occur. Abdominal ultrasonography is a cost-effective, safe, accessible, and noninvasive means of demonstrating the hepatobiliary manifestations of HIV/AIDS. CD4+ count and viral load are the two important markers. Objective: This study aims at correlating the hepatobiliary ultrasound findings with CD4+ count and viral load in adult patients with HIV/AIDS in South East, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a 12-month cross-sectional study of 210 adult patients with HIV/AIDS, carried out from January 2020 to December 2021 in South East, Nigeria. Each patient's abdomen was scanned using 2.5–5 MHz curvilinear on an “ALOKA” ultrasound machine. The viral load and CD4+ count results were collected from the patient's folders at the Medical Records Department. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS, version 21.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA, 2011). Results: A total of 210 patients with HIV/AIDS who had a mean age of 39.1 ± 10.9 years, were recruited into this study. Patients with severe CD4+ class and high viral load had the highest proportion of abnormal hepatobiliary findings (28.6% and 25.7%, respectively). Hepatomegaly, hyperechoic liver, coarse parenchyma, ascites, gallbladder abnormalities, and lymphadenopathy were the common ultrasound findings, some of which showed statistically significant correlation with CD4+ count and viral load. Conclusion: Many of the hepatobiliary ultrasound findings showed statistically significant correlation with CD4+ count and viral load.