Prognostic factors correlated with survival in AIDS patients

The authors present the AIDS cases (CDC '93) observed in Brescia from 1983 to 1994. They observed 1189 subjects (M 84%, F 16%) with a mean age of 32.7 years (intra-venous drug users 75.1%, heterosexuals 14%, homosexuals 9.6%) . The mean survival observed was 56.7 weeks from the diagnosis of AIDS (mor tality per year 78%). The most frequent AIDS-defining events were Visceral Candidiasis, P.carinii Pneumonia (PCP) and Neurotoxoplasmosis, while the lo ngest and shortest mean survival was for Kaposi's Sarcoma (89 weeks) and Wa sting Syndrome (8.4). The mean value of CD4+ lymphocyte counts on AIDS diag nosis was 72.6/mu l (1166 cases) and the highest and lowest were in non-Hod gkin's Lymphoma (NHL; 147.6/mu l) and Cryptosporidiosis (18.8/mu l). Antire troviral therapy had been given for at least a month in 41.4% subjects (mea n treatment duration of 74.8 weeks). The Cox model has demonstrated the fav ourable effect on survival of high CD4+ lymphocyte counts on diagnosis, ant iretroviral therapy, the diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TBC) and PCP as initial markers and the diagnosis of TBC, PCP or Cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) d uring the entire clinical evolution. Moreover, the unfavourable effect of h igh age, diagnosis of Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy (PML), Was ting Syndrome and NHL as initial markers and diagnosis of PML or NHL in any moment of the disease has been demonstrated.