Impact of the Ovulatory Cycle on Virologic and Immunologic Markers in HIV-Infected Women

An individual's sex influences plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA level and rate of CD4 cell decline, but the mechanism for this effect is currently unknown. To determine the effect of the ovulatory cycle on HIV-1 RNA level and lymphocyte subsets in HIV-infected women, blood...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2000-01, Vol.181 (1), p.82-90
Main Authors: Greenblatt, Ruth M., Ameli, Niloufar, Grant, Robert M., Bacchetti, Peter, Taylor, Robert N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
AIDS/HIV
Biological and medical sciences
CD4 antigen
Cytokines
Estrogens
Female
Follicular phase
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
HIV
HIV 1
HIV Seropositivity - immunology
HIV Seropositivity - virology
HIV-1 - isolation & purification
Hormones
Human immunodeficiency virus 1
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Lymphocyte Subsets
Lymphocytes
Major Articles
Medical sciences
Menstrual Cycle
Microbiology
Prognosis
Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains
RNA
RNA, Viral - blood
Sex hormones
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
Virology
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Summary:An individual's sex influences plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA level and rate of CD4 cell decline, but the mechanism for this effect is currently unknown. To determine the effect of the ovulatory cycle on HIV-1 RNA level and lymphocyte subsets in HIV-infected women, blood specimens were obtained weekly from 14 women infected with HIV. Participants reported regular menses and were not using hormonal medications or narcotics. The occurrence of ovulation was verified by use of endocrine criteria. Ovulation occurred in 10 of the 14 women. Among women who ovulated, median HIV-1 RNA level fell by a median of 0.16 log10 from the early follicular phase to the midluteal phase (P = .03, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). When women who did not ovulate were included in the analysis, no significant fluctuation in plasma HIV RNA level was identified. Thus, the ovulatory cycle influenced circulating HIV-1 RNA levels, a finding that is plausible because of the known effect of sex hormones on lymphocyte function and cytokine production.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1086/315207