Rubio A, Martínez-Moya M, Leal M, Franco JM, Ruiz-Mateos E, Merchante E, Sánchez-Quijano A, Lissen E. Changes in thymus volume in adult HIV-infected patients under HAART: correlation with the T-cell repopulation.
Clin Exp Immunol 2002;
130:121-6. [PMID:
12296862 PMCID:
PMC1906507 DOI:
10.1046/j.1365-2249.2002.01950.x]
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Abstract
An important thymus role has been suggested in T-cell repopulation after HAART in adult HIV-1 infected patients. Thymus volume increase after treatment has been described in HIV-1 infected children but not in adult patients. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of HAART on the thymic volume of adult HIV-1 infected patients and its relation with the T-cell repopulation. Twenty-one adult patients following 24 weeks under HAART were included in the study. All patients underwent a thoracic computed tomography (CT) evaluation for the measurement of thymic volumes at weeks 0, 12 and 24. Baseline thymus volume showed a significant correlation with the patient's age. Thymic volume significantly increased after 24 weeks of HAART. Besides, a significant correlation between changes in the thymus volume and changes in both total and naïve CD4+ cell counts was found. Only patients with increases > or =100 CD4+ cell counts after treatment significantly increased the thymic volume. These data show the first evidence of an early change in thymic volume of adult HIV-1 infected patients under HAART. This increase was related to the rise of both total and naïve CD4+ cell counts suggesting a functional role of thymic volume increase.
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