Soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor type II (sTNFaRII) correlates with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA copy number in HIV-infected patients

Abstract

Soluble TNF receptor type II (sTNFαRII) levels in serum, CD4 lymphocyte counts, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burdens have each been correlated with HIV disease progression. The level of sTNFαRII and HIV RNA was measured in serum and the CD4 lymphocyte count of 25 HIV-infected patients was determined. sTNFaRII ranged between 3.019 and 12.57 ng/mL (mean ± SD, 6.705 ± 2.5). HIV-1 RNA varied from 960 to 281,160 copies/mL (71,988 ± 75,684). CD4 cell number was between 4 and 540/μL (181.3 ± 152.2). Univariate analysis revealed a moderate inverse correlation of sTNFαRII with CD4 cell number (r = -.41, P < .05) and a strong positive correlation between sTNFαRII and log RNA copy number (r = .62, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, sTNFαRII strongly correlated with RNA copy number (P < .01) but not CD4 lymphocyte count. sTNFαRII measurements appear to be predictive of clinical outcomes because they are a surrogate indicator of the patients' immunologic response to a virus load. © 1996 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.