Role of Alcoholic Root Concoctions on Haematological and Renohepatic Function Markers Among HIV Patients in Some Rural Communities in Eastern Nigeria

The spread of HIV is taking a frightening dimension among the rural people in Nigeria . Even in a situation, where some of these individuals exhibit suggestive symptoms of HIV infection or have been diagnosed HIV positive, instead of seeking for adequate medical care will rather take various alcohol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomedical & pharmacology journal 2009-06, Vol.2 (1), p.7
Main Authors: Igboh, N M, Chigbu, N C, Agomuo, E N, Audu, A U, Onwubiko, D, Emuchey, C I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Alanine
Alanine transaminase
Albinism
Alcoholism
Analgesics
Aspartate transaminase
Bilirubin
CD4 antigen
Cell size
Creatinine
Hematology
Hemoglobin
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Illiteracy
Immune system
Infections
Liver
Liver diseases
Lymphocytes
Metabolism
Methods
Oxidative stress
Renal function
Smoking
Transaminase
Tuberculosis
Urea
Variance analysis
Vitamin E
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Summary:The spread of HIV is taking a frightening dimension among the rural people in Nigeria . Even in a situation, where some of these individuals exhibit suggestive symptoms of HIV infection or have been diagnosed HIV positive, instead of seeking for adequate medical care will rather take various alcoholic root extracts thereby, prolonging the time they would have used to seek appropriate medical care. We therefore carried out the normal routine HIV tests on the individuals who took such alcoholic root extracts before seeking for medical care and individuals that had not taken such extracts before coming to the hospital, focusing precisely on haematological indices, renal and liver function tests. Blood sample was collected from two hundred individuals involving 96 males and 104 females who took such alcoholic root extracts in Aba metropolis for more than six months before coming to the hospital. One hundred HIV positive patients who did not take such alcoholic extracts served as control. The haematological parameters monitored include total white blood cell counts (WBC), lymphocytes (L) neutrophil (N) counts, packed cell volume (PCV) and Hemoglobin (Hb) level. Biochemical parameters estimated were the concentrations of urea and creatinine. Serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were also assayed. In addition, total bilirubin was also determined. As compared with patients who never took alcoholic root extracts, the patients that took such extracts before coming to the hospital when the symptoms manifested were severe, exhibited significant decrease in CD4, WBC and lymphocyte counts (P
ISSN:0974-6242
2456-2610