Evaluation of Haematological Parameters in Different Stages of HIV Positive Patients in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Haematological abnormalities are common in Human Immunodeficiency (HIV)-positive individuals and can significantly affect their health and well-being. Haematological profiles are one of the cheapest investigations that can be done in a resource-poor country like Nigeria, which can give a high index of suspicion of other comorbidities in HIV positive patients. Understanding these variations in haematological profiles is crucial for optimizing patients ‘ care and treatment outcomes in this population. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the haematological profiles of individuals living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study. Ethical considerations were adhered to, with a sample size of 127 selected using a simple random sampling technique. Blood samples were collected to analyse haematological parameters using a haematology analyser, which measured them using the electrical impedance method. Semi-structured questionnaires were used as the survey instrument for the socio-demographic and clinical data. Statistical data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Results: The majority of the participants in this study were aged between 40-49 years (43.3%) with male to female ratio of about 1:2. The majority of the study population, 83% and 70% had lymphocytosis and neutropaenia respectively. Also, most cases (86.6%) had normal red blood cell count, while 22.8% had anaemia. However, the majority (70.1%) of the study population had reduced mean cell haemoglobin concentration, with mean cell haemoglobin (18.1%) and mean corpuscular volume (28.3%) being marginally low. 34.6% of the population had thrombocytosis. There was a significant association be-tween red blood cell count and WHO staging of HIV, p=0.000. Conclusion: Key haematological abnormalities, particularly lymphocytosis and neutropenia, were common in HIV-positive individuals in this Nigerian study. The significant association between red blood cell count and WHO staging highlights the value of haematological profiles in managing HIV in resource-limited settings.