Improving CD4+ lymphocyte counts in HIV-infected hemophilia patients. A favorable prognostic indicator? |
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| Authors: | V Daniel R Weimer R Zimmermann A Huth-Kühne J Weisser E Braun G Opelz |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Transplantation Immunology, University of Heidelberg, F.R.G. |
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| Abstract: | CD4+ lymphocyte counts of 91 HIV+ hemophilia patients were monitored for a mean of 4 years (range: 15-69 months). CD4+ lymphocytes decreased in 55 but increased in 36 patients over time. The CD4+ cell increases were persistent in 5 patients, whereas they fluctuated in 31. Of the 36 patients with increasing CD4+ counts 3 developed AIDS and 1 LAS. The other 32 patients were clinically asymptomatic (CDC II), but had immunological abnormalities, such as increased serum neopterin (N = 18) and impaired in vitro T cell responses to pooled allogenic stimulator cells (N = 15) or mitogens (N = 18). In contrast, of the 55 patients whose CD4+ cells decreased, 24 developed AIDS and 5 ARC (P less than 0.0005). Only 2 of these 55 patients had normal mitogen stimulation in vitro and normal serum neopterin levels. |
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