• L M Mofenson, D R Harris, J Moye, J Bethel, J Korelitz, J S Read, R Nugent, W Meyer, and NICHD IVIG Clinical Trial Study Group.
• Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. lm65d@nih.gov
• Lancet. 2003 Nov 15; 362 (9396): 1625-7.

AbstractCheaper, simpler alternatives to CD4 lymphocyte count and HIV-1 RNA detection for assessing the prognosis of HIV-1 infection are needed for resource-poor settings. However, little is known about the predictive value of alternative assays, in particular in children. We assessed the prognostic value of total lymphocyte count, immune complex-dissociated p24 antigen, white blood cell count, packed-cell volume (haematocrit), and serum albumin for mortality in 376 HIV-1-infected, mainly African-American or Hispanic children enrolled during March, 1988 to January, 1991. In a Cox proportional hazards model, including all assay-alternatives to CD4 and RNA, total lymphocyte count (p<0.0001) and serum albumin (p=0.0107) independently predicted mortality. Further assessment of these markers is warranted in resource-poor settings.

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