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Cerebrospinal fluid neopterin in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection
Author(s) -
Brew Bruce J.,
Bhalla Ravi B.,
Paul Morris,
Gallardo H.,
McArthur Justin C.,
Schwartz Morton K.,
Price Richard W.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410280413
Subject(s) - neopterin , cerebrospinal fluid , zidovudine , medicine , immunology , dementia , viral disease , disease , pathology , virus
We evaluated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of neopterin, a putative marker of activated macrophages, in 97 subjects infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 who had a spectrum of neurological complications. The highest CSF neopterin concentrations occurred in those with neurological opportunistic infections, primary central nervous systems lymphoma, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex. In general, the CSF concentration of neopterin was independent of CSF cell count and blood‐brain barrier disruption to albumin. In the patients with AIDS dementia complex, CSF neopterin concentrations correlated with severity of disease and decreased in conjunction with clinical improvement following treatment with zidovudine. These results suggest that CSF neopterin, although not disease‐specific, may be useful as a surrogate marker for the presence of AIDS dementia complex and its response to antiviral therapy.