Fig. 1

Effect of age on immune reconstitution in PLWH. (a) Relative effect of clinical factors on CD4⁺T cell count and CD4/CD8 ratio. Variables are grouped into 4 components: red = age characteristics (age at diagnosis, age at treatment initiation, and age at examination), green = baseline immune outcomes (CD4⁺T, CD8⁺T cell counts, and CD4/CD8 ratio), blue = hematological parameters (WBC, HGB, PLT, T.BIL, ALT, AST, Cr, Glu, TG, TC), purple = treatment details (treatment interval, treatment years, initial and current treatment plan). The averaged parameter estimates (standardized regression coefficients) for the model predictors are presented alongside their corresponding 95% confidence intervals and the relative importance of each predictor, expressed as a percentage of the explained variance. The graph illustrates the best model selected based on the AICc criterion. The relative effects of the predictors and their interactions can be calculated by taking the ratio of the parameter estimate of each predictor to the sum of all parameter estimates, with the result expressed as a percentage. (b) Time-dependent AUCs for baseline CD4⁺T cell count and age to predict the risk of CD4⁺T cell count <350 cells/µL and CD4/CD8 < 0.4. Shaded region indicates the 95% confidence interval. (c) ROC curve analysis for predicting the risk of low CD4⁺T cell or low CD4/CD8 based on baseline CD4⁺T cell counts across different age groups (18–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–60 and > 60 years old). (d) Dynamics of CD4⁺T cell counts, CD4/CD8 ratios, relative CD4⁺T cell counts, and relative CD4/CD8 ratios over the 7-year treatment period in the adult group (age < 35 years, n = 392) and the older group (age > 55 years, n = 396). Relative CD4⁺T cell count or relative CD4/CD8, represents the increase in the number of CD4⁺T cells or CD4/CD8 relative to baseline after HAART. Data are shown as means ± SEs. The p values are calculated by two-way ANOVA. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001. WBC: white blood cells, HGB: hemoglobin, PLT: platelets, T.BIL: total bilirubin, ALT: alanine aminotransferase, AST: aspartate aminotransferase, Cr: creatinine, Glu: glucose, TG: triglycerides, TC: total cholesterol, AICc: akaike information criterion corrected, AUC: area under the curve, ROC: receiver operating characteristic curve, HAART: highly active antiretroviral therapy