Association Between CD4⁺, Viral Load, and Pulmonary Function in HIV

The antiretroviral therapy era has shifted the epidemiology of HIV-associated diseases, increasing the recognition of non-infectious pulmonary complications secondary to HIV. We aimed to determine the association between CD4⁺, viral load, and pulmonary function in individuals with uncontrolled HIV, and determine how changes in these parameters are associated with pulmonary function longitudinally.

This is a retrospective observational study of individuals with HIV who underwent pulmonary function testing in an urban medical center between August 1997 and November 2015.

Of the 146 participants (mean age 52 ± 10 years), 49% were Hispanic, 56% were men, and 44% were current smokers. CD4⁺ <200 cells/μl was associated with significant diffusion impairment compared to CD4⁺ ≥200 cells/μl (DL_CO 56 vs. 70%, p = <0.01). VL (viral load) ≥75 copies/ml was associated with significant diffusion impairment compared to VL <75 copies/ml (DL_CO 60 vs. 71%, p = <0.01). No difference in FEV1, FEV1/FVC, or TLC was noted between groups. In univariate analysis, CD4⁺ and VL correlated with DL_CO (r = +0.33; p = <0.01; r = −0.26; p = <0.01) and no correlation was noted with FEV₁, FEV₁/FVC, or TLC. Current smoking and history of AIDS correlated with DL_CO (r = −0.20; p = 0.03; r = −0.20; p = 0.04). After adjusting for smoking and other confounders, VL ≥75 copies/ml correlated with a 11.2 (CI 95% [3.03–19.4], p = <0.01) decrease in DL_CO. In Spearman’s Rank correlation, there was a negative correlation between change in VL and change in DL_CO over time (ρ = −0.47; p = <0.01).

The presence of viremia in individuals with HIV is independently associated with impaired DL_CO. Suppression of VL may allow for recovery in diffusing capacity over time, though the degree to which this occurs requires further investigation.