Effect of H.pylori Infection on CD4+T Cell Count and Hiv Viral Load Among Art and Naïve Art Hiv Patients in Mekelle City, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract Background A lower CD4 + T cell count and a higher viral load are associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The co-infection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in HIV-positive patients may affect immune parameters of HIV-related disease progression. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of H. pylori co-infection on CD4 + T cell counts and HIV viral loads among HIV patients who are receiving ART (antiretroviral therapy) and HIV patients without ART Method A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 264 individuals from June to September 2020 in Mekelle city, Tigray, northern Ethiopia. A mixed sampling technique was used. H. pylori was detected using stool antigen test; CD4 + T cell count was performed by the BD FACSPrestoTM Cartridge test; and viral load was analyzed by COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® HIV-1. The data was entered using EPi-data and analyzed using SPSS V.20 and graph pad prism software V.8. To assess the association, a one-way ANOVA, Mann Whitney test, and logistic regression were used. Result The study included 264 participants. A significant increase in CD4 + T cells was observed among ART-exposed participants with H pylori, compared with participants without H pylori with a mean ± SD of (487.5 ± 213.5 versus 395.9 ± 199.6, p = 0.004), and a decrease was observed among HIV negative controls (487.5 ± 213.5 versus 869.4 ± 123.9, P < 0.001). In ART-Naïve participants with H pylori, CD4 + T cell counts were significantly higher than in controls without H pylori (239.7 versus 115.1, P = 0.001) and considerably lower than in controls without H pylori (869.4 versus 123.9, P0.001). Participants with H pylori had significantly lower viral load levels compared to those without H pylori, with a median (IQR) of 5.13 (4.14–4.52), p = 0.031, respectively. Conclusion H. pylori/HIV co-infection resulted in increased CD4 + T cell counts and lower viral loads, but larger sample sizes and longitudinal cohort studies are needed to validate these results.