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J Santangelo

Publications and source records attributed to J Santangelo.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Diagnosis of primary HIV-1 infection. Los Angeles County Primary HIV Infection Recruitment Network.

BACKGROUND: The optimal approach for diagnosing primary HIV-1 infection has not been defined. OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of symptoms and virologic tests for diagnosing primary HIV-1 infection. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: A teaching hospital in Los Angeles and a university research center in San Diego, California. PATIENTS: 436 patients who had symptoms consistent with primary HIV infection. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical information and levels of HIV antibody, HIV RNA, and p24 antigen. RESULTS: Primary infection was diagnosed in 54 patients (12.4%). The sensitivity and specificity of the p24 antigen assay were 88.7% (95% CI, 77.0% to 95.7%) and 100% (CI, 99.3% to 100%), respectively. For the HIV RNA assay, sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 97.4% (CI, 94.9% to 98.9%). Fever, myalgia, rash, night sweats, and arthralgia occurred more frequently in patients with primary infection (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: No sign or symptom allows targeted screening for primary infection. Although assays for HIV RNA are more sensitive than those for p24 antigen in diagnosing primary infection, they are more expensive and are more likely to yield false-positive results.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed2001

Acute seroconversion of HIV infection in the ambulatory care setting.

Patients frequently visit ambulatory care settings with acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroconversion illness, but the illness is often misdiagnosed. This acute viral syndrome, or seroconversion illness, occurs after initial exposure to the HIV virus; it is often resolved before the development of HIV-specific antibodies. Primary HIV infection refers to the 12 months following infection; it includes an acute time period after exposure when routine HIV antibody testing is negative. Primary HIV infection is recognized with the help of a detailed screening history. Diagnosis is confirmed through laboratory tests that detect virus presence. The accurate diagnosis of primary HIV infection can have a beneficial effect on the patient's clinical course and also on public health prevention efforts.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1992

Intervention in early HIV infection.

1. The primary goals of early intervention in HIV infection are to prevent or delay disease progression and to interrupt HIV transmission. 2. After assessing the stage of a patient's infection, the next goal of early intervention is to minimize the risk of progression. The initial assessment of an HIV-infected individual should include a comprehensive evaluation of all previous disease exposures that might become problematic with immune system compromise. 3. Two antiviral agents are licensed to treat HIV infection: zidovudine and didanosine. Only zidovudine is approved for treatment of early HIV infection and is recommended for all HIV-positive adults with or without symptoms of disease progression who have absolute CD4 helper cell counts less than 500.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Peripheral nerve function in persons with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic HIV disease: absence of zidovudine neurotoxicity.

Nucleoside-induced neuropathy characteristically appears as a painful, symmetric, distal polyneuropathy. To evaluate the neurotoxic potential of zidovudine (ZDV, or azidothymidine), in persons with little confounding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) neuropathy, we evaluated peripheral nerve function in persons completing placebo-controlled studies of ZDV in early HIV disease. Participants had been receiving placebo or ZDV at doses of 800-1,200 mg daily for a median 52 weeks at the time of evaluation. Neuropathic symptoms and abnormalities of motor and sensory function were present in fewer than 10% of both treatment groups. Depressed reflexes were found in 19% of the ZDV group and 18% of the placebo group. Quantitative sensory testing for vibration was abnormal in fewer than 10% of participants and the absolute scores favored the ZDV group. We thus found a low prevalence of peripheral nerve abnormalities and no evidence of ZDV neurotoxicity in this population.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Primary care intervention and management for adults with early HIV infection.

Recent clinical drug trials have demonstrated that early intervention with zidovudine will delay disease progression in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic HIV-infected individuals. These trials will encourage larger numbers of seropositive persons to seek access to primary care, overloading specialized clinics for AIDS and HIV care. The care of early HIV-infected individuals will need to be delivered by mainstream primary care providers. This article discusses the initiation and management of zidovudine, and chemoprophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in early HIV infection.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1989

Future hope? Antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV.

1. The development of effective drugs targeted at the underlying causative agent of AIDS (eg, HIV) is paramount to reducing morbidity and mortality. 2. Antiretroviral drugs may either inhibit HIV replication at the reverse transcriptase phase of the replication cycle or they may attack the cycle before HIV enters the healthy target cell. 3. AZT has been found to reduce the mortality of patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex, decrease the frequency and severity of opportunistic infections, and may improve neurologic functioning.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗