Author(s)

Shadrack A. Yonge^1,2, Michael F. Otieno³, Rekha R. Sharma⁴, Sarah S. Nteka⁵

¹Department of Environment and Health Sciences, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa, Kenya.
²Department of Community Health, Kenyatta University, Kahawa, Nairobi County, Kenya.
³Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Kenyatta University, Kahawa, Nairobi County, Kenya.
⁴Department of Zoological Sciences, Kenyatta University, Kahawa, Nairobi County, Kenya.
⁵Department of Medical Laboratory, Coast General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya.

Background: Studies on the reference values of CD4 and CD3 T cells in healthy individuals have continued to gain significance because of the importance of these immunological markers in the initiation of antiretroviral therapy and prophylactic drugs for opportunistic infections. These ranges tend to vary across populations. The CD4:CD8 ratio is used to measure of how balanced immune function is. Therefore, this study aimed at determining normal reference values for CD4+ and CD3+T-lymphocytes and leucocytes in healthy adults in Coastal Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried between May 2015 and February 2016 in Coast General Referral hospital, Tudor, Port-Reitz, Mlaleo, Likoni and Sub-County hospitals. Participants were recruited from voluntary HIV counselling and testing clinics. Patients were counselled for HIV test and those who consented were tested for HIV. They were screened for diseases that potentially cause lymphocyte homeostasis perturbation. CD4+, CD3+ CD8+cells/μl were analyzed using a BD FACSCount flow cytometer (Becton-Dickson, NJ). Results: We enrolled 500 participants, two hundred and forty (48.0%) were males and two hundred and sixty (52.0) females. The mean CD4 cell count was 1054.9 ± 95% CI 1041.2 - 1068.6 cells/mm³, absolute CD8 was 688.4 ± 95% CI 679.1 - 697.7 cells/mm³, absolute CD3 cell count was 1945.1 ± 95% CI 1907.4 - 1982.2 cells/mm³ absolute leukocyte count 5.19 ± 95% CI 5.12 - 5.19, absolute lymphocyte count 1.85 ± 95% CI1.83 - 1.88 and haemoglobin level 12.76 ± 95% CI 12.65 - 12.87. Females had significantly higher mean CD4 and CD8 T cell counts than males (p < 0.05). The mean values of white blood cells 4.7 (3.0 - 7.9) × 10⁹/l, platelets 239 (77 - 353) × 10⁹/l and erythrocytes 4.65 (3.51 - 5.40) × 10⁹ were significantly higher in males than females (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Immunohaematological markers found in this study were different from the standard values for the western countries. Females had significantly higher mean CD4+T and CD3+T cell counts but lower mean haemoglobin level, erythrocytes, white blood cells and platelets than males. Our findings provide new insight in the CD4 and CD3 T cell reference values of Kenyans.

CD3 & CD4 Count, Range, T-Lymphocyte, Kenya

Yonge, S. , Otieno, M. , Sharma, R. and Nteka, S. (2019) Community Normal Reference Values for CD3+, CD4+, CD8+T Lymphocytes and Leucocytes among Immunocompetent Adults in Coastal Kenya. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 7, 99-114. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2019.71009.