title: T lymphocyte subset changes in human immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: The absolute number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was determined by an immunomagnetic technique directly in the blood of 75 healthy controls and 223 HIV-infected individuals. The HIV-seropositive individuals were also classified clinically according to the system recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the CDC classification was correlated with the patients' T cell subset counts. Compared to the control group, the HIV-infected individuals demonstrated an early and sustained increase in the number of CD8+ T cells with median values of CDC groups II, III, and IV C2 twice that observed in the control group. Patients with AIDS had CD8+ T cell counts comparable to those of the control group. The HIV-infected individuals showed a decrease in the number of CD4+ T cells correlating with clinical deterioration of the disease. T cell subset counts significantly distinguished the group of healthy seropositive individuals from those with HIV-related disease, and the group of patients with AIDS from those with other HIV-related opportunistic infections.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Transplantation Immunology, National Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brinchmann
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vartdal
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thorsby
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000473:pathology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000473:pathology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal