To determine if the long-term incidence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is related to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA levels measured early in HIV-1 infection.
...Epidemiologic cohort study.
Five hemophilia treatment centers in the United States.
A total of 165 subjects with hemophilia and HIV-1 infection (age at HIV-1 seroconversion, 1-66 years) followed from 1979 to 1995.
The HIV-1 RNA level was measured by polymerase chain reaction over a range of 200 to 1 million or more HIV-1 RNA copies/mL in archived serum specimens collected 12 to 36 months (median, 27 months) after the estimated date of HIV-1 seroconversion. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to examine the risk of AIDS and proportional hazards models were used to estimate relative hazards.
The HIV-1 RNA values were similar in subjects younger than 17 years at seroconversion (median, 5214 copies/mL) and those 18 to 34 years old (median, 4693 copies/mL), but higher in those 35 years or older (median, 12069 copies/mL) (P = .02 compared with each younger group). At 10 years after seroconversion, the proportions of subjects with AIDS were 72% among subjects with 100,000 or more HIV-1 RNA copies/mL measured 12 to 36 months after HIV-1 seroconversion (n = 9), 52% among subjects with 10,000 to 99,999 copies/mL (n = 55), 22% among subjects with 1000 to 9,999 copies/mL (n = 82), and 0% among subjects with fewer than 1000 copies/mL (n = 19) (P < .001). The age-adjusted relative hazard for AIDS for subjects with 10,000 or more copies/mL was 14.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-105.6) compared with subjects with fewer than 1000 copies/mL.
The HIV-1 RNA level during early chronic HIV-1 infection is a strong, age-independent predictor of clinical outcome; low levels define persons with a high probability of long-term AIDS-free survival.
Blood samples were obtained from 16 hemophiliacs who had a 50%–94% defined risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 infection on the basis of treatment history and from 14 controls not at ...risk for HIV infection. HIV-1 was not detected in any of 12 patient samples by cocultivation nor in 14 patient samples by the polymerase chain reaction. Peripheral blood cells from 7 seronegative hemophiliacs at highest risk of seroconversion (94%) were less susceptible to HIV-1 infection in vitro than were cells from healthy controls (P < .025, one-tailed Wilcoxon rank sum test). In contrast, the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection of lymphocytes from 6 seronegative hemophiliacs at moderate risk (50%–56%) of seroconversion did not differ from that of cells from controls or from high-risk hemophiliacs. Therefore, prolonged periods of seronegative HIV-1 infection are not common in this high-risk population. In addition, among hemophiliacs there may exist heterogeneity in susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in vitro and in vivo.
Intravenous gammaglobulin was used to treat 12 children with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura in order to avoid splenectomy. The average rise in platelet count with initial treatment was ...226,000/microliters. Currently, one patient is in remission, four patients maintain platelet counts greater than 40,000/microliters without treatment, four patients maintain platelet counts greater than 40,000/microliters with single maintenance infusions of IV IgG at four- or 10-week intervals; three patients did not respond to treatment. In nine of 12 patients, splenectomy was avoided or at least postponed. In responding patients, we were able to discontinue immunosuppressive medication. Platelet count rises with initial IV IgG therapy were correlated with both platelet antibody levels and with a better long-term outcome. Toxicity was minimal.
The relative proportions of T-cell (OKT3-positive, OKT4-positive and OKT8-positive) and B-cell (SIg-positive) populations in peripheral blood obtained from 29 chronically transfused patients with ...beta-thalassaemia major were compared with those of 17 healthy controls. Changes attributable to blood transfusion and/or splenectomy are described. The percentage of OKT8-positive (T-suppressor) cells found in the thalassaemic patients increased linearly (P less than 0.001) with the number of units transfused, irrespective of splenectomy. The percentage of OKT4-positive (T-helper) cells varied inversely with increasing transfusion in nonsplenectomized patients while in those who were splenectomized no significant correlation was apparent. Thus, in both groups of patients the T4/T8 ratio declined in a transfusion-related manner. The splenectomized patients experienced a marked and persistent lymphocytosis due to an increase in the number of both T- and B-cells. When the results were expressed as percentages, the greatest increase occurred in the number of B-cells, this increase being unrelated to the number of transfusions received. None of the serum parameters usually associated with iron overload or abnormal liver function correlated with the observed increases in T-suppressor and SIg-positive cells. These findings corroborate reports that transfusion of blood products may lead to decreased T4/T8 ratios. However, none of the patients studied manifested clinical signs of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Accordingly, studies which define transfusion related AIDS on the basis of analyses with monoclonal antibodies must be viewed with caution.
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