Neutropenia in people infected with HIV is widely described in the medical literature and occurs with a frequency of 10% to 50%. However, neither the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the number of neutrophils, nor the relationship between the severity of neutropenia and the survival of HIV-infected people has been previously assessed.

In a study undertaken by A.M. Levine et al. (USA), a determination was made of the frequency of detection of neutropenia, the factors contributing to its occurrence, as well as its effect on the survival of 1729 women infected with HIV who were observed in the context of a in-depth study of HIV infection in women (Women's Interagency HIV Study). Every 6 months, all study participants determined the HIV-1 RNA concentration, the number of CD4 lymphocytes and blood cells, including the absolute number of neutrophils.

According to the results, neutropenia was prevalent among women infected with HIV; at the time of inclusion in the study, in 44% of the participants the number of neutrophils did not exceed 2000 / μl, while in 7% this indicator did not exceed 1000 / μl. During the 7.5-year observation period, a decrease in the number of neutrophils less than 2000 / μl was observed at least 1 time in 79% of women, while the absolute number of neutrophils did not exceed 1000 / μl in 31% of them.

Researchers have found a link between the deterioration of other indicators of HIV infection, namely a decrease in the number of CD4 cells (p less than 0.001) and an increase in the concentration of HIV-1 RNA (P less than 0.001) and the development of neutropenia. The resolution of neutropenia was observed with an increase in the number of CD4 cells (P less than 0.001) and with HAART (P = 0.007). HAART has been found to be on regimens that do not include zidovudine to help prevent the development of neutropenia. In a multivariate analysis, no relationship was found between the development of neutropenia and a decrease in the survival rate of women infected with HIV.

Thus, the worsening of the course of the infection has contributed to the development of neutropenia in women infected with HIV. Conducting HAART on regimens that did not include zidovudine had a protective effect on the development of neutropenia, and in patients with neutropenia, HAART and an increase in the number of CD4 cells contributed to its resolution.