title: Study of bone marrow abnormalities in patients with HIV disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Present work was carried out to study the bone marrow abnormalities in patients with HIV/AIDS and to find their association with peripheral hematological abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy four patients of HIV/AIDS were included in the study. The patients had anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia or pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) as indications for bone marrow examination. A complete blood count, relevant biochemical investigations, HIV RNA load and CD4 positive lymphocyte counts were done, besides a thorough history and clinical examination. HIV positive patients were classified as those having AIDS and those without AIDS according to NACO criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority of patients (72.9%) had AIDS. Bone marrow was normocellular in 78.95% of non-AIDS and 74.55% of AIDS, hypocellular in 5.26% of non-AIDS and 7.27% of AIDS, hypercellular in 15.79% of non-AIDS and 18.18 % of AIDS patients. Myelodysplasia was present in 21.05% of non AIDS and 36.46% of AIDS and the most common series affected was granulocytic (15.79% of total in non-AIDS and 30.9% in AIDS). Dysplasia was statistically significantly associated with lower CD4 count (p = 0.031) and anemia (p = 0.013). Myelodysplasia was apparent even before patients developed anemia (16.67%). Increased plasma cells in bone marrow were observed in 57.89% of non-AIDS and 65.45% of AIDS, whereas decreased lymphoid cells were seen in 36.84% of non AIDS and 60.00% of AIDS patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myelodysplasia is found in 32.43% of cases of HIV/AIDS and is more common in AIDS than in non AIDS patients. Granulocytic series is most commonly associated with evidence of dysplasia. Myelodysplasia is more common in patients with CD4 count < 200/microl and in patients with anemia. 54.05% of patients had decreased lymphoid cells in bone marrow and it was more commonly seen in AIDS than in non AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: Pramila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Misra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Neetu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000386:AIDS-Related Complex; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D001856:Bone Marrow Examination; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000821:virology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology