HIV-infected patients with a large thymus maintain higher CD4 counts in a 5-year follow-up study of patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy

TY - JOUR

T1 - HIV-infected patients with a large thymus maintain higher CD4 counts in a 5-year follow-up study of patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy

AU - Kolte, L

AU - Ryder, L P

AU - Albrecht-Beste, E

AU - Jensen, Frank K

AU - Nielsen, S D

AU - Kolte, L

AU - Ryder, L P

AU - Albrecht-Beste, E

AU - Jensen, Frank K

AU - Nielsen, S D

N1 - Keywords: Adult; Anti-HIV Agents; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Follow-Up Studies; HIV Infections; HIV-1; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Organ Size; Prospective Studies; Thymus Gland; Viral Load

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - CD4 recovery in HIV-infected patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is in part believed to be dependent on the degree of preserved thymic function. We investigated whether the thymus has a prolonged effect on CD4 recovery. Total and naïve CD4 counts as well as thymic output determined as the number of CD4 + cells containing T-cell receptor-rearrangement excision DNA circles were measured prospectively in 25 HIV-infected patients with known thymic size during 5 years of HAART. Patients with larger thymic size had at all time points of follow-up significantly higher CD4 counts than patients with minimal thymic size (P = 0.0036). The CD4 increase from time of initiation of HAART until 6 months of follow-up differed significantly between the two thymic groups (P = 0.045), but did not at later time points. Thymic output remained significantly higher in patients with larger thymic size at follow-up. However, no difference in the increase in thymic output was seen between thymic groups. In conclusion, the importance of the thymus to the rate of cellular restoration seems primarily to lie within the first two years of HAART. However, patients with larger thymic size are able to maintain higher CD4 counts even after 5 years of HAART.

AB - CD4 recovery in HIV-infected patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is in part believed to be dependent on the degree of preserved thymic function. We investigated whether the thymus has a prolonged effect on CD4 recovery. Total and naïve CD4 counts as well as thymic output determined as the number of CD4 + cells containing T-cell receptor-rearrangement excision DNA circles were measured prospectively in 25 HIV-infected patients with known thymic size during 5 years of HAART. Patients with larger thymic size had at all time points of follow-up significantly higher CD4 counts than patients with minimal thymic size (P = 0.0036). The CD4 increase from time of initiation of HAART until 6 months of follow-up differed significantly between the two thymic groups (P = 0.045), but did not at later time points. Thymic output remained significantly higher in patients with larger thymic size at follow-up. However, no difference in the increase in thymic output was seen between thymic groups. In conclusion, the importance of the thymus to the rate of cellular restoration seems primarily to lie within the first two years of HAART. However, patients with larger thymic size are able to maintain higher CD4 counts even after 5 years of HAART.

U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2009.02328.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2009.02328.x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 19906203

SN - 0300-9475

VL - 70

SP - 608

EP - 613

JO - Scandinavian Journal of Immunology

JF - Scandinavian Journal of Immunology

IS - 6

ER -