HODGKINS-DISEASE AND HIV - RELATIONSHIP B ETWEEN CD4 CD8 RATIO, HISTOLOGY AND STAGE DISEASE/

Hodgkin's disease (HD) is not currently accepted as an AIDS diagnostic criterion by the Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta), although ther e are reports on a higher incidence of the disease in HIV infected pat ients, with the special feature of a marked clinical and histological agressiveness. A review of the literature was made and a total of 54 c ases of HD compiled of patients with HIV infection. The relationships between the absolute counts of CD4 and the CD4/CD8 ratio with histopat hology and with the stage at diagnosis was investigated. No significan t differences were found between the absolute counts of CD4 and CD4/CD 8 ratio with the clinical stage of disease, histopathologic subgroup o r presence of B symptoms in HD. Nevertheless, lower CD4 counts were ob served in more advanced clinical stages and in patients with B symptom s; the highest CD4/CD8 ratios were observed in patients with more adva nced disease. It is hypothesized that immunological disturbances cause d by HIV would lead to more aggressive histological lesions and more a dvanced stages of HD in HIV-positive patients. Thus, the inclusion of HD as a diagnostic criterion of AIDS would be warranted.