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1996-03-30
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Document 0999
DOCN M9650999
TI Potential clinical implications of interlaboratory variability in CD4+
T-lymphocyte counts of patients infected with human immunodeficiency
virus.
DT 9505
AU Sax PE; Boswell SL; White-Guthro M; Hirsch MS; Infectious Disease
Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital,; Boston, Massachusetts 02115,
USA.
SO Clin Infect Dis. 1995 Nov;21(5):1121-5. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
MED/96125992
AB The CD4+ T-lymphocyte count is an important factor in the management of
patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Previous studies
have found significant variability among the counts determined by
different laboratories. We conducted a study of lymphocyte phenotyping
in four laboratories to assess this variability and its possible
clinical implications. One laboratory was situated at the study site;
the other three were selected randomly from a total of 11 commercial and
hospital laboratories available locally. Blood specimens were obtained
from 24 patients and were sent to the four laboratories for a complete
blood count and a lymphocyte subset analysis. Using the Kruskall-Wallis
test, we found that the laboratories' ranks of four individual
components of the CD4 cell count differed significantly: total white
blood cell count (P < .0001), lymphocyte percentage (P = .003),
lymphocyte count (P = .002), and CD4 percentage (P = .0004). Of the 24
patients in this survey, 14 (58.3%) had CD4-count results with enough
variation to have led to conflicting treatment recommendations; three of
the 24 patients fulfilled the revised Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention case definition of AIDS on the basis of results from some but
not all laboratories. In addition, the laboratories disagreed on whether
CD4 cell counts of nine patients (37.5%) had increased or decreased
since the previous determination. We conclude that when strict
thresholds of CD4 cell counts are used as a basis for treatment
recommendations or for diagnosis of AIDS, interlaboratory variability
may be sufficient to alter the decisions made.
DE Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS/IMMUNOLOGY Analysis of
Variance *CD4 Lymphocyte Count Female Human HIV
Infections/CLASSIFICATION/*IMMUNOLOGY/THERAPY Laboratories Male
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. JOURNAL ARTICLE
SOURCE: National Library of Medicine. NOTICE: This material may be
protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).