title: CD4 lymphocyte counts and serum p24 antigen of no diagnostic value in monitoring HIV-infected patients with pulmonary symptoms.
abstract: The diagnostic value of the CD4 cell counts and the HIV p24 antigen were evaluated in a consecutive series of 105 HIV-infected patients experiencing 128 episodes of pulmonary symptoms which required bronchoscopy. One-third of patients with opportunistic infection (OI) had CD4 counts greater than 0.200 x 10(9)/l, and 60% of patients without OI had CD4 counts less than 0.200 x 10(9)/l; 47 and 42% of patients with and without OI, respectively, had detectable p24 antigen in serum. Only 36% of the patients with OI presented the combination of CD4 cells less than 0.200 x 10(9)/l and p24 in serum. In conclusion, the CD4 cell counts and the presence of p24 antigen in serum had a very limited predictive value for the presence of OI in HIV-infected patients with pulmonary symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orholm
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lundgren
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D005260:Female; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000097:blood*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011379:Prognosis; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015488:HIV Antigens; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D014758:Viral Core Proteins