Antibody to human immunodeficiency virus correlates with decreased T helper lymphocytes in asymptomatic individuals

✍ Scribed by Dr. Barbara Weiser; Harold Burger; Kathelyn Steimer; Jeffrey Lifson; Edgar Engleman; Roger Grimson; William S. Robinson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 473 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890220307

✦ Synopsis

To examine the relationship between human immuntdeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity and T lymphocyte subsets in a clinically well population, wc assayed HIV antibody and analyzed T lymphocyte subsets in 30 people at increased risk for acquired inmmuntdeticicncy syndrome (AIDS) who were clinically well. Seventy-six pcrcent of the HIV-seropositive individuals had abnornially low numbers of T helper lymphocytes. and HIV seropositivity was srrongly correlated with an abnornmally low number of T helper cells (p<O.ooOo2). Among these clinically well subjects at increased risk for AIDS, HIV-sero-positive individuals had a significant decrease in mean T helper lymphocytes and mean T helper:T suppressor ratios as compared to those who were seronegative (483 cells/mni' vs 915 cells/nim3, p<O.002: and 0.80 vs 1.7. p<0.002. respectively). Because o f the strong correlation of HIV seropositivity and abnornially low numbers of T helper lymphocytes in this asymptomatic population. these findings suggest that asynmptomatic seropositive individuals should be followed closely for development of AIDS-related disease and should bc considered for future antiviral therapy when it beconics available.