Short communication: possible activity of beta-carotene in patients with the AIDS related complex. A pilot study.
In a pilot single blind study, beta-carotene (BC) supplementation produced, in ARC patients under current treatment, apparent recovery from asthenia, fever, nocturnal sweating, diarrhoea, loss in weight, and led as a result to an improvement in general health and working efficiency, but not to an improvement in multiple district lympho-adenopathies. Nevertheless, BC appeared to prevent progress to AIDS and, in addition, to lower the effective dosage of AZT used in one case of ARC developed into AIDS, producing a recovery from opportunistic infections and an inhibition of Kaposi sarcoma diffusion, in line with a two-fold rise in CD4 counts.
Camillo Golgi Institute of General Pathology, Centro Tumori, University of Pavia, Italy.
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Bianchi-Santamaria
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Fedeli
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Santamaria
D000386:AIDS-Related Complex / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control; D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D019207:beta Carotene
D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids