2267. Unexplained opportunistic infections and CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia without HIV infection. An investigation of cases in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control Idiopathic CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia Task Force.
The clinical and public health importance of recent reports of patients with CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is unclear. We conducted investigations to determine the demographic, clinical, and immunologic features of patients with idiopathic CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia; whether the syndrome is epidemic or transmissible; and the possible causes.
2274. Asthma.
There is an active inflammatory process in the airways of patients with asthma, even when the patients are asymptomatic. Some of the types of cells involved in this process possess the necessary biologic activities to produce many of the pathophysiologic features of asthma, but the underlying mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Reducing the severity of the inflammatory process appears to be a reasonable goal of therapy, with potential long-range implications for the morbidity of asthma. Whether this theoretical benefit will be realized awaits further observation.
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