Low CD4+ T Cell count among HIV-seronegative Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients in Ilorin metropolis

Background and aims: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that manifests as chronic hyperglycemia accompanied by a dysfunctional metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Several studies have earlier pointed out several complications associated with the disease and in particular, the sufferer’s susceptibility to various infectious diseases. We therefore sought to investigate the adaptive immune status of the condition, as represented by the assessment of CD4+ T cell count among DM patients. Method: Seventy-six type 2 DM patients were recruited for the study. Thirty (30) age and sex-matched, non-diabetic individuals were enrolled as negative controls. Their fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1c, and CD4 count were assayed using standardized procedures. The demographic and clinical data of the studied group and controls were compared with respect to age, sex, BMI, FBS, HbA1c, and CD4+ T cell counts. Result: The mean concentration of glucose (7.82 ± 2.58) and the percentage concentration of HBA1c (8.21 ± 2.31) were significantly higher in DM individuals as against the control (3.67 ± 0.66) (p = 0.0001) and (5.20 ± 0.48) (p = 0.0001) respectively. The CD4+ cell count was also significantly lower in DM subjects (843.58 ± 297.6) when compared with the control (1067.9 ±195.4) (p = 0.035). Conclusion: A significant reduction in CD4+ T cell level was noted among diabetic patients in our study, which could be a contributing factor for aggravating some of the associated complications in DM, especially those that involve susceptibility to infectious diseases. We found out that having Hb-AA is associated with normal or elevated CD4+ T cells in DM patients; whereas having the Hb-AS variant increases the chance of a low CD4+ T cell count. Assessment of CD4+ T cell count should be included as part of periodic investigations in DM patients, especially for those with unresolved complications, in spite of treatment.