Clinical implications of first CD4⁺T cell counts among newly reported HIV-infected Burmese in Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan Province in 2019 and 2020

Objective To investigate the demographic characteristics， high-risk behavior and first CD4⁺T cell（CD4 cell） counts among newly reported HIV-infected Burmese in Dehong Dai Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture （Dehong Prefecture） from 2019 to 2020.

Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among newly reported HIV-infected Burmese cases in Dehong Prefecture from 2019 to 2020 to collect related information and measure their first CD4 cell counts.

Results Among 1 228 HIV-infected Burmese cases， 846 （68.9%） were males and 382 （31.1%） were females； 445 （36.2%） were from Kachin， and 210（17.1%） were from Shan. Of them， 960 cases （78.2%） had participated in the first CD4 cell counts testing， and 405 cases （42.2%） had a first CD4 cell counts <350 cells·μL^-1. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis， age ≥30 years （adjusted OR=1.44， 95%CI： 1.07‒1.92） and history of illicit drug use in Myanmar （adjusted OR=0.41， 95%CI： 0.21‒0.79） were independently associated with first CD4 cell counts <350 cells·μL^-1.

Conclusion The first CD4 cell counts are generally low among newly reported HIV-infected Burmese in Dehong Prefecture， especially those aged ≥ 30 years and with a history of intravenous drug use in Myanmar. Therefore， early detection of HIV infection should be strengthened for timely intervention and treatment management among Burmese.