Partial Immune Reconstitution in a Patient with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Abstract

THE acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the immune system that results in the development of life-threatening opportunistic infections or unusual neoplasms or both. Although effective therapies exist for many of the infectious and neoplastic complications of this syndrome, no successful treatment has been developed for the underlying immune defect. Thus, patients are susceptible to recurrent and life-threatening infections and progressive neoplastic processes. The overall mortality in patients with this syndrome remains at approximately 40 per cent. However, since no reversals of the underlying immune dysfunction have reportedly occurred either spontaneously or with therapy, the disease appears to . . .