PROSPECTIVE FOLLOW-UP OF MONOCLONAL GAMMOPATHIES IN HIV-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS

A cohort of 341 symptomless anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 positive individuals was screened over a 6-year period to detect a ser um monoclonal gammopathy (MG) and to approach the prognostic significa nce of such anomaly in HIV infection. Eleven individuals with a MG wer e followed-up over a mean period of 50 months from the date of discove ry of the MG. At the end of this period, the MG had disappeared in sev en individuals, was still present in the four others. The appearance o f a second MG was noticed in two cases. and of a third in one case. Im munoglobulin (Ig) typing identified eleven IgG kappa and three IgG lam bda. Mean serum concentration of MG of individuals with persistent MG (14.3 g/l) and of individuals without (4-2 g/l) was significantly diff erent (P < 0.05). The discovery of a MG was without prognosis value on the disease progression and did not appear as a primary event in the subsequent development of lymphoma.