HERPES-ZOSTER AND PROGRESSION TO AIDS IN A COHORT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SEROCONVERTED TO HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS

A prospective study of 1,198 individuals who seroconverted to human im munodeficiency virus (HIV) was conducted to estimate the incidence aci d determinants of herpes tester and to determine whether herpes tester can accelerate the progression to AIDS, Herpes tester was diagnosed f or 48 individuals (48), After adjusting for the CD4 cell count, indivi duals acquiring HIV infection through sexual contact were more likely to have herpes tester than were injection drug users (relative hazard, 1.50), The crude relative hazard of AIDS for individuals who had herp es tester compared with those without herpes tester was 2.44; the adju sted relative hazard was 1.08, After adjusting for the CD4 cell count, fever was the only specific characteristic of herpes tester that was significantly associated with a more rapid progression to AIDS (relati ve hazard, 6.52). Data suggest that herpes tester occurs more frequent ly in individuals acquiring HIV infection through sexual transmission. There was no evidence that herpes tester per se is an independent cof actor of progression of HIV disease, although febrile episodes of herp es tester may predict a faster progression to AIDS.