Incidence and mechanism of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection

The incidence of lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia was studied in 105 homosexual men with HIV infection. Lymphopenia was common in patients with AIDS (75%), but its incidence in PGL (24%) was not significantly different from that in asymptomatic anti-HIV positive (15%) homosexual men. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were found in patients with AIDS or PGL, but not in asymptomatic anti-HIV positive homosexuals. The study suggests that the neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in these patients were due to autoimmune destruction of neutrophils and platelets.