Tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and neurological disorders in HIV infection.
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) concentrations were determined in the CSF from 42 HIV-infected patients, with or without CNS involvement. In addition, 14 subjects with various neurological disorders but without HIV antibodies were included as controls. Raised CSF concentrations of TNF-alpha (greater than 40 ng/l) were detected both in patients with AIDS dementia complex (ADC) (6/9) and with CNS opportunistic infections (10/19) and, less commonly, in HIV infected subjects without CNS diseases (2/14) and in anti-HIV negative controls (1/14). The highest CSF concentrations of TNF-alpha (greater than 100 ng/l), however, were found in seven out of eight patients with cryptococcal meningitis. Although a role for TNF-alpha in demyelinating lesions associated with ADC has been suggested, our results indicate that a clear elevation of TNF-alpha in the CSF from HIV positive patients mostly occurs in acute inflammatory disorders, such as cryptococcal meningitis.
Mastroianni
C M
CM
Istituto di Malattie Infettive, Università La Sapienza Rome, Italy.
Paoletti
F
F
Valenti
C
C
Vullo
V
V
Jirillo
E
E
Delia
S
S
D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha