[Influence of therapy with glucocorticosteroids on clinical status, t4 lymphocyte count and t4/t8 lymphocyte ratio in people infected with AIDS].

The influence of glucocorticosteroids (GKS) therapy on clinical status, T4 lymphocyte count in peripheral blood and T4/T8 lymphocyte ratio was investigated in five HIV infected patients: two were asymptomatic, while three had clinically overt disease. The reasons for GKS therapy were: thrombocytopenia in two patients, pancytopenia in two and sepsis with severe endocarditis in one. No influence of GKS on the clinical course of HIV infection was observed. The prospective determinations of T4 lymphocyte count and T4/T8 lymphocyte ratio were relatively constant in two cases, in one case increased and in two patients, one of whom had AIDS, a decrease in both parameters was observed. It seems that GKS therapy does not seriously influence the course of HIV infection in most patients and can be instituted without risk of severe worsening of the immune status.