Gp. Rizzardi et al., SOLUBLE CD30, TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA, AND TNF RECEPTORS INPRIMARY HIV-1 INFECTION - RELATIONSHIP WITH HIV-1 RNA, CLINICAL OUTCOME AND EARLY ANTIVIRAL THERAPY, Journal of biological regulators and homeostatic agents, 11(1-2), 1997, pp. 43-49
The natural course of human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) infection
varies considerably. The identification of laboratory disease markers
has become critically important to patient management. This study, car
ried out on 37 patients with primary HIV-1 infection (PHI), shows that
, along with plasma HIV-1 RNA and CD4(+) T cell counts, evaluation of
plasma levels of some immune activation markers (sCD30, TNF-alpha, and
sTNFR-I) may help to identify patients at risk of a more rapid diseas
e progression. suggesting that immune activation is among the factors
who determine the rate of disease progression. Early combination antiv
iral therapy significantly decreased levels of virus load and of immun
e activation markers, suggesting that it may reduce the extent of immu
ne activation through the suppression of HIV-1 replication. Among othe
rs, sCD30 could be a more sensitive marker of immune activation, and i
t might be also useful in the monitoring of the response to antiviral
therapy.