[Immunologic findings in homosexual males with generalized lymphadenopathy. Prodromal state of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome?]

Abstract

Peripheral blood of 6 homosexual men with lymphadenopathy associated with fever, weight loss and night sweat, 13 homosexuals with lymphadenopathy without further clinical symptoms, 13 healthy homosexuals and 20 healthy hetero-sexual blood donors was evaluated for different lymphocyte subpopulation, mitogen induced T-cell proliferation and Gamma-interferon production. In the six patients with lymphadenopathy lymphocyte subpopulations were also analysed in lymph node-biopsies. delayed type hypersensitivity was established by skin test's using different recall antigens. Sera of all homosexual men were screened for immunoglobulin levels, complement activity, presence of immunocomplexes and autoantibodies. Most of the homosexuals with lymphadenopathy but without clinical symptoms and all patients with lymphadenopathy associated with clinical symptoms had a significantly decreased helper-(OKT 4) suppressor- (OKT 8) cell ratio. In contrast, the OKT 4/OKT 8 ratio was found to be normal in lymphocyte suspension from lymph node-biopsy from the 6 patients with lymphadenopathy and clinical symptoms. Within the group of healthy homosexuals this ratio exhibited a rather large variation, in three of the tested persons the ratio was below 1. No functional abnormalities of T-cell immunity were observed in the homosexual men as compared to the control group, with the exception of a significantly increased LAG- and PWM-induced lymphocyte proliferation in the group of healthy homosexual men. Likewise no significant differences were obtained with regard to the further analysed immunological parameters. It is concluded that the obtained immunological results do not provide the possibility to define persons at immediate risk for the development of AIDS.