Allergoreactivity as a Predictor of the Severity of HIV Infection

Introduction: Different types of allergic conditions develop in the half of patients infected with HIV due to the immune system dysfunction. Increased prevalence of allergic conditions in HIV infected patients lead us to conduct the study of allegro reactivity by carrying out skin tests to different types of allergens including an allergen to Candida. Objective: To study the immediate type skin reaction in response to subcutaneous injection of different allergens including Candida allergen in patients infected with HIV at different stages of the disease. Method: One hundred HIV infected patients were investigated. The control group consisted of 10 healthy individuals and 10 patients with different clinical forms of atopic allergy. Subcutaneous tests were done in the patients forearm. Results: Allergic skin test results to different allergens were characterized by wide variability at all clinical stages: from absence of immediate hypersensitivity reaction to a strong positive reaction. The patients at the 4th stage of the disease despite the high level of IgE had immediate hypersensitivity reaction of the less intense compared to HIV infected patients at the 2nd stage of the disease. Test results to Candida allergen showed a positive reaction in patients with a rapid progression of HIV/AIDS before the development of the clinical picture of candidiasis. Conclusion: Development and extent of the immediate hypersensitivity reaction changes with the progression of HIV/AIDS. Analysis of the immediate hypersensitivity reaction to Candida allergen may be used as an indicator of development and progression of candidiasis in HIV infection. The skin test results should be taken into consideration before initiating the antiretroviral therapy in order to avoid the development of allergic drug reactions to this class of medications. Results of allergotests may help in prediction of HIV progression.