2001 Volume 75 Issue 7 Pages 535-540
To investigate the mechanism of hypergammaglobulinemia in HIV infected patients, the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the hypergammaglobulinemia was analyzed. Involved in this study were 34 untreated, 21 HAART-effective (complete response) and 14 HAARTnon-effective (partial response) patients. Serum levels of HIV-RNA and gammaglobulin and immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes were measured. Mean HIV-RNA levels of untreated and partial response patients were 1.6×104 copies/ml and 0.4×104 copies/ml, respectively. HIV-RNA levels of all complete response patients were below 4.0×102 copies/ml. Mean gammaglobulin percentages of untreated, partial response and complete response patients were 24.4%, 21.8% and 17.9%, respectively (p<0.01in untreated vs complete response patients). Mean IgG levels in the three groups were 2, 489 mg/dl, 1, 947 mg/dl and 1, 618 mg/dl, respectively (p<0.001 in untreated vs complete response patients). IgA levels were high in some untreated patients and lower in complete response patients. IgE levels were increased in some untreated and partial response patients, but there was no significant difference among the three groups. These results suggested that the hypergammaglobulinemia found in HIV infected patients was associated with HIV replication. The activation mechanism might differ by Ig isotypes.
