A prospective study of immunoglobulin changes in relation to human immunodeficiency virus infection in a cohort of homosexual men.

Abstract

Changes in IgG levels and patterns in association with human immunodeficiency virus, (HIV) infection were characterized in a prospective investigation by studying serum electrophoresis and antibodies to HIV at least once a year in 144 homo/bisexual (HS) men during a 4-year period. Initially, 25 men (17.4%) were HIV-positive, and this increased to 44 at the end of the study period. HIV-negative men had IgG levels of 11.2 +/- 2.2 g/l. In the 19 HIV seroconverters the mean IgG level rose with time according to the equation IgG = 0.054x + 12.56 (x = months after the last HIV-negative test). Oligoclonal IgG bands were found in three of the 19 seroconverters (16%) prior to conversion and in 2/16 (13%), 5/13 (38%), 7/11 (64%), and 3/8 (38%) 1, 2, 3, and 4 years after conversion, respectively. Of the 25 initially HIV-positive men, five have developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) during the 4.5 year follow-up. At the first investigation these five men had higher mean IgG levels (16.0 +/- 2.7 g/l) than the 20 men who have remained healthy (14.6 +/- 2.8 g/l), and all five had oligoclonal bands as compared to 9/20 of those who did not develop AIDS. Oligoclonal IgG bands reflect the IgG increase and seem to indicate long-standing HIV infection and a poor prognosis.