International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | October 2015 | Vol 3 | Issue 10 Page 2549 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Ebot WO et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2015 Oct;3(10):2549-2552 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Research Article Liver function tests of HIV/AIDS patients at the nylon district hospital, Douala, Cameroon Walter O. Ebot 1 *, Eric A. Achidi 1 , Henri-Lucien F. Kamga 2 , Anna L. Njunda 1 , Tobias O. Apinjoh 3 INTRODUCTION In 2013, an estimated 35 million people were reported to have lived with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 1 The first AIDS case in Cameroon was reported in 1985. 2 At the end of 2013, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon was estimated to be 5.4% with people aged between 15 and 49 years the most commonly infected. 3 Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to dramatic improvements in the survival of HIV infected patients on treatment in resource-limited settings, it has been associated with both short- and long-term toxicities including hepatotoxicity, which may be life threatening. 4- 6 Liver enzymes elevations of varying degree are common among HIV seropositive patients receiving all classes of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) ABSTRACT Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) which substantially reduces morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patients has been associated with hepatotoxicity. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of HIV infection and ART on liver function amongst HIV seropositive patients in Douala, Cameroon. Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted from March to August, 2012 at the Nylon District Hospital, Douala. Demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities were determined using colorimetric techniques. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 37.9 ± 6.02 years. A majority of the study participants (68.0%) were females. The mean CD4+ T lymphocyte cell count of HIV/AIDS patients on ART was significantly higher than the ART- naïve patients (p<0.05). The mean serum AST and ALT activities of ART-naïve patients were significantly higher than the control subjects (p<0.05). Similarly, the mean serum transaminases and GGT activities of HIV/AIDS patients on ART were significantly higher than the control subjects (p<0.05). The mean serum ALP and GGT activities of HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART were significantly higher than the ART- naïve patients (p<0.05). Conclusions: The present study provides evidence to suggest that both infection with HIV and treatment with ART are associated with liver injury. Keywords: Human immunodeficiency virus, Antiretroviral therapy, Liver function enzymes, Hepatotoxicity 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Science, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon Received: 29 August 2015 Accepted: 09 September 2015 *Correspondence: Dr. Walter O. Ebot, E-mail: ebotwally@yahoo.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20150788