ALPHA-TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR AND INTERLEUK IN-1-BETA IN PLASMA OF HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

The paper presents examination findings of 67 HIV-infected patients: 3 2 children aged 2.5 to 16 years and 35 adults aged 21 to 46 years. The proportion of patients with higher alpha-tumor necrosis factor and in terleukin-1beta increased with progression of the disease, the two par ameters being higher in the children than in the adults. A correlation was found between the appearance of cytokines in the plasma and some clinical signs, such as fever, weight loss, anemia, neurological disor ders. A parallel study of the patients' immunograms indicated signific ant correlations between the degree of impairments in the composition of lymphocyte subpopulations and the appearance of plasma cytokines.