CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF POSITIVE DIRECT ANTIGLOBULIN-TEST IN PATIENTS WITH HIV-INFECTION

A direct antiglobulin test (DAT) was performed in 70 patients with ant i-HIV antibodies (group A: seropositive patients without or with minim al disease and group B: AIDS patients with or without malignancies). A positive DAT was found in 24 of 70 patients (34%, significantly highe r compared to 0.1% in healthy controls) and a higher prevalence of pos itive DAT was observed in group B than in group A patients (55% versus 21% p < 0.01). When comparing DAT-positive and negative patients with in the same clinical group, no significant difference is seen in haemo globin levels. There is no difference in serum bilirubin, haptoglobin or reticulocyte count between DAT-positive and negative patients altog ether or in the same clinical group. AZT therapy seems to exert no sig nificant influence on the onset of a positive DAT. The results confirm a high prevalence of positive DAT in patients with HIV antibodies, ma inly in worse clinical conditions, and suggest that a positive DAT mig ht be a prognostic factor in the clinical course of the disease.