title: Hemorheology in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients.
abstract: Although cardiac and vascular complications have been recognized among patients infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1), their vascular biology and rheology have not been studied. Rheology of red blood cells (RBC) was assessed with an erythroaggregometer in 22 HIV-1 infected asymptomatic patients (pts) and 17 healthy HIV negative controls (C). All participants were normotensive, nondiabetics, had normal lipid levels and had an hematocrit ranging from 37 to 44% and hemoglobin levels > or = 12 g/100 ml. Patients had a shorter RBC aggregation characteristic time than controls (1.49 +/- 0.17 vs. 2.04 +/- 0.41 s, p = 0.001) and an increased disaggregation shear rate (166 +/- 34.9 vs. 122 +/- 25.4 s(-1), p = 0.001). This hyperaggregation tendancy was associated with increased gamma-globulin (18.3 +/- 3.3 vs. 13.7 +/- 1.9 g/l, p = 0.01) and fibrinogen (3.52 +/- 0.57 vs 3.03 +/- 0.48 g/l, p = 0.003) levels and with an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (25 +/- 14.3 vs. 12.3 +/- 7.5 mm, p = 0.02). Even in patients with ESRs ranging within normal values (< or = 20 mm), the aggregation characteristic time was found lower in patients than in controls (p = 0.004). There was no correlation between these rheological changes and the CD4+ T-cell count. The 17 patients receiving an antiviral therapy had lower CD4+ T-cell counts than their 5 untreated counterparts (244.7 +/- 167 vs. 410 +/- 106/mm3, p = 0.025), and a higher disaggregation shear rate (177.4 +/- 38.2 vs. 127 +/- 25.4, p = 0.01). Thus, an impairment of rheological characteristics is observed in asymptomatic HIV-I infected patients in association with changes in plasma proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, H pital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France. medint.p-brousse@pbr.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Monsuez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dufaux
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vittecoq
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flaud
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vicaut
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001799:Blood Sedimentation / Q000187:drug effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004903:Erythrocyte Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D018056:Hemorheology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents