Increased fetal hemoglobin levels in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV1/2)

• Main Authors: A. Poli-Neto, K. Nonoyama, M. Oshiro, W. Ebner-Filho, K. Miguita, T.M.D. Medeiros, C.I. Watanabe, O.C.O. Barretto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica 2000-11-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
• Subjects: human immunodeficiency virus; HIV1/2; hemoglobin; fetal hemoglobin; F cells; zidovudine
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2000001100008

Fetal hemoglobin was measured in HIV1/2 patients under treatment with combined therapy (zidovudine and a protease inhibitor). A total of 143 patients and 103 normal individuals were investigated by the quantitative method of Betke and the semi-quantitative acid elution method of Kleihauer. In the normal person, hemoglobin F makes up less than 1% and an increase higher than 1.5% was observed in 21.4% of HIV patients by the method of Betke and in 24.8% of HIV-infected patients by the method of Kleihauer. The quantitative biochemical method of Betke showed that the populations were significantly different (two-tailed Mann-Whitney test). The reason for this hemoglobin F increase might be ascribed to the effect of zidovudine or to direct viral action on gamma chain expression. The finding of a higher F cell frequency indicated by the method of Kleihauer rather suggests that there is an increased F cell clone proliferation rather than an increase in hemoglobin F level in every cell.