Some biochemical changes accompany infection by HIV. Once CD4+count decrease to 500 cells/mm3, HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) is initiated. The aim of this work is to elucidate the effect of HAART on some of the biochemical changes caused by HIV/AIDS with reference to some components of the antioxidant system. Seventy subjects comprising twenty apparently healthy control subjects in Nsukka locality and fifty HIV sero positive subjects ready to be placed on HAART were recruited for the study. The concentrations and activities of the following biochemical parameters were estimated by the requisite spectrophotometric methods during three different clinical visits: Catalase, GPX, SOD, +GR and GSH. CD4+ count was also estimated at each presentation. The results showed that the mean CD4+ counts, the mean activity for glutathione reductase and the mean reduced glutathione concentration were all significantly higher than those of the HIV+ subjects followed by their results 8 months into treatment, 4 months into treatment and finally treatment naïve (p<0.05). The mean activity for glutathione peroxidase was highest for the control subjects followed by 4 months into treatment, 8 months into treatment and treatment naïve (p<0.05). There was observable improvement in the results which seemed to dull between the 4th and 8th month, revealing either non compliance to treatment by patients, or adverse (toxic) drug effects, which tended towards compromising the positive effects of the drugs.
