The Clinical Study of Hematoimmunologic Features and Opportunistic Infections of Patients with AIDS / 대한내과학회지

The number of persons with HIV infection in Korea have increased steadily, total number of HIV infection in Korea were 478 on August, 1995. To investigate the clinicoimmunologic manifestation of AIDS in Korea, we reviewed complete blood counts (CBC), CD4 counts, serum beta2-microglobulin level, opportunistic infections and cause of death for 19 AIDS patients who had been admitted or visited at Pusan national university hospital during the period of January, 1990 to August, 1995. 1) The predominant mode of HIV transmission was heterosexual contact(18), other modes of transmission were homosexual contact(1). Clues of diagnosis of HIV infection were routine occupational health examination(14), and opportunistic infection symptoms such as fever, coughing(4). 2) Mean CD4 cell counts(/mm3) were 53 +/- 72 totally, 22 +/- 27 for 8 dead patients at mean 2 month before, 91 +/- 87 for 7 living patients. There were not significant difference(p>0.05). 3) Serum beta2-microglobulin(MG;ug/ml) was measured at 12 patients, mean serum beta2-MG level was4.8 +/- 7.3 totally, 7.1 +/- 10.3 for 6 dead patients at mean 1.3 month before, 2.5 +/- 0.4 for 6 living patients. There were not significant(p>0.05). 4) At CBC examination, WBC(/mm3) was 5,932 +/- 2,899 totally, 5,452 +/- 3,436 for 10 dead patients, 6,500 +/- 2,221 for 9 living patients(p>0.05). Hb(g/dl) was 11,4 +/- 2.8 totally, 9.4 +/- 1.8 for dead patients, 13.6 +/- 1.8 for living patients(p<0.05). Lymphocyte count(/mm) was 1,255 +/- 800 totally, 731 +/- 424 for dead patients, 1,838716 for living patients(p<0.05). ESR(mm/h) was 72 +/- 47 totally, 97 +/- 33 for dead patients, 47 +/- 47 for living patients(p<0.05). 5) Opportunistic infections had developed at 14 patients, candidiasis 7, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia 5, tuberculosis 3, cytomegalovirus infection 2, herpes zoster 3, toxoplasmosis 1, cryptococcal infection 2, bacterial pneumonia 5, and herpes simplex l. Malignant lymphoma had developed in 1 patient. 6) Mean survival interval from diagnosis of HIV infection to death was 32.8 +/- 19.1 months, and the most common cause of death was pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and other causes of death were meningitis, bacterial pneumonia and AIDS-wasting syndrome. Based on these results, We concluded that CD4 counts, serum beta2-microglobulin level, Hb, total lymphocyte count and ESR in AIDS patients are specific laboratory markers of progression and prognosis of AIDS, the most common opportunistic infection was candidiasis, and the most common cause of death in AIDS patients was pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

The detection of collapsible airways contributing to airflow limitation / 결핵

BACKGROUND: The detection of collapsible airways has important therapeutic implications in chronic airway disease and bronchial asthma. The distinction of a purely collapsible airways disease from that of asthma is important because the treatment of the former may include the use of pursed lip breathing or nasal positive pressure ventilation whereas in the latter, pharmacologic approaches are used. One form of irreversible airflow limitation is collapsible airways, which has been shown to be a component of asthma or to emphysema, it can be assessed by the volume difference between what exits the lung as determined by a spirometer and the volume compressed as measured by the plethysmography. METHOD: To investigate whether volume difference between slow and forced vital capacity(SVC-FVC) by spirometry may be used as a surrogate index of airway collapse, we examined pulmonary function parameters before and after bronchodilator agent inhalation by spirometry and body plethysmography in 20 cases of patients with evidence of airflow limitation(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 12 cases, stable bronchial asthma 7 cases, combined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with asthma 1 case) and 20 cases of normal subjects without evidence of airflow limitation referred to the Pusan National University Hospital pulmonary function laboratory from January 1995 to July 1995 prospectively. RESULTS: 1) Average and standard deviation of age, height, weight of patients with airflow limitation was 58.3+/-7.24(yr), 166+/-8.0(cm), 59.0+/-9.9(kg) and those of normal subjects was 56.3+/-12.47(yr), 165.9+/-6.9(cm), 64.4+/-10.4(kg), respectively. The differences of physical characteristics of both group were not significant statistically and male to female ratio was 14:6 in both groups. 2) The difference between slow vital capacity and forced vital capacity was 395+/-317ml in patients group and 154+/-176ml in normal group and there was statistically significance between two groups(p0.05). CONCLUSION: The difference between slow vital capacity and forced vital capacity by spirometry may be useful for the detection of collapsible airway and may help decision making of therapeutic plans.