title: Zidovudine therapy, CD4+ and CD8+ counts are associated with a longer survival following AIDS onset.
abstract: In 60 patients followed from the onset of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to death, survival was determined by Cox Proportional Hazards Analysis in relationship to seven variables: time-dependent CD4+ and CD8+ peripheral lymphocyte counts, zidovudine treatment, cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, time from AIDS onset, calendar year of AIDS onset (cohort effect), and age. Two significant prognostic variables were identified: zidovudine therapy and either CD4+ or CD8+ counts (the latter could not be distinguished due to concomitant high correlation). Treatment with zidovudine reduced the death rate by 75% compared to no treatment. When included in a proportional hazards regression with all covariates except for the other T lymphocyte count, every increase in CD4+ count of 10 cells was equivalent to a decline in the mortality rate by 13% (p = 0.046), and every increase in CD8+ count of 10 cells lowered the mortality by 1.4% (p = 0.0031). Patients treated with zidovudine and without CMV retinitis showed the slowest decline of both CD4+ and CD8+ counts. Both CD4+ and CD8+ levels are useful predictors of survival in patients with AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiala
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teklehaimanot
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kermani
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Funnye
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sayre
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gornbein
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D017726:Cytomegalovirus Retinitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D015215:Zidovudine