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| COMMENTARY |
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| Year : 2016 | Volume
: 9
| Issue : 3 | Page : 319 |
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Anemia in HIV
Viroj Wiwanitkit
Tropical Medicine Unit, Hainan Medical University, China; Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis, Serbia; Department of Biological Science, Joseph Ayobabalola University, Nigeria; Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical University, Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Public Health Curriculum, Surin Rajabhat University, Surin, Thailand
| Date of Web Publication | 17-May-2016 |
Correspondence Address:
Viroj Wiwanitkit
Wiwanitkit House, Bangkhae, Bangkok 10160
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0975-2870.182500
How to cite this article:
Wiwanitkit V. Anemia in HIV. Med J DY Patil Univ 2016;9:319 |
The publication on "anemia in HIV" in the current issue of Medical Journal of Dr. D. Y. Patil University is very interesting. [1] Indeed, HIV is a common infection that can be seen in any country around the world in general, HIV is an important virus that affects the immune system of the patient and this can result in various clinical manifestations in infected patients. With immune impairment, the health status of the HIV-infected will be deteriorated. Since there is still no specific curative treatment, the disease is still considered a big problem in present medicine.
Focusing on the hematological problem in HIV infection, the main problem is on the leukocyte series. However, the effect of erythrocyte series can also be seen. The problem of "anemia" is of interest. As noted in the present report, [1] the considerable high prevalence of anemia can be expected and the possible relationship to CD4 cell count is an interesting topic. In a recent publication from Ethiopia, [2] it is reported that "anemia was more prevalent and severe in patients with low CD4 + T cell counts, patients infected with intestinal parasites/helminthes, and highly active antiretroviral therapy naïve patients." Indeed, lower CD4 cell count means more severe immune impairment, which might imply more deteriorated health status. As a chronic viral infection, the anemia due to chronic disease can be expected, and this can be a common problem in any HIV-infected patients with low CD4 cell counts. In addition, the poor nutritional status among the HIV-infected patients can be expected. This might also related to either microcytic or megaloblastic anemia. [3]
Finally, the concomitant infection in the case with underlying HIV infection can be expected. In the tropical countries, several infections such as malaria can be seen as a concomitance to HIV infection of infest, malaria, itself, can result in anemia which is not the direct pathophysiological due to the HIV infection. Nevertheless, the problem might also have a geographically related pattern. For example, the tropical area where the hook work infestation is common, the high prevalence of hookworm infestation among HIV infected patient might be expected and the high prevalence of microcytic anemia as a result of hookworm infestation in HIV-infected patient can also be expected.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Panwar A, Sharma SC, Kumar S, Sharma A. A study of anemia in human immunodeficiency virus patients: Estimating the prevalence, analyzing the causative effect of nutritional deficiencies, and correlating the degree of severity with CD4 Cell Counts. Med J DY Patil Univ 2016;3:312-8.  |
| 2. | Mihiretie H, Taye B, Tsegaye A. Magnitude of anemia and associated factors among pediatric HIV/AIDS patients attending Zewditu Memorial Hospital ART clinic, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Anemia 2015;2015:479329. |
| 3. | Petraro P, Duggan C, Urassa W, Msamanga G, Makubi A, Spiegelman D, et al. Determinants of anemia in postpartum HIV-negative women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Eur J Clin Nutr 2013;67:708-17. |
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