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(Circulation. 1999;100:933-939.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.

Clinical Investigation and Reports

Intensity of Myocardial Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Influences the Clinical Course of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Cardiomyopathy

Giuseppe Barbaro, MD; Gabriella Di Lorenzo, MD; Maurizio Soldini, MD; Giuseppe Giancaspro, MD; Benvenuto Grisorio, MD; Adriano Pellicelli, MD; Giorgio Barbarini, MD; for the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio Cardiologico dei pazienti affetti da AIDS (GISCA)¹

From the Department of Emergency Medicine, University La Sapienza, Rome (G. Barbaro, G.D.L., M.S., G.G.); the Division of Infectious Diseases, General Hospital, Foggia (B.G.); the 2nd Division of Infectious Diseases, Spallanzani Hospital, Rome (A.P.); and the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Policlinico S. Matteo, University of Pavia (G. Barbarini), Italy.

Correspondence to Dr Giuseppe Barbaro, MD, Viale Anicio Gallo 63, 00174 Rome, Italy.

Background—Increased levels of tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) have been reported in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. We investigated the myocardial expression of TNF- and iNOS in patients with HIV-associated cardiomyopathy (HIV-DCM) compared with patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM).

Methods and Results—Endomyocardial biopsy specimens from 82 HIV-DCM and 80 IDCM patients were processed for determination of the immunostaining intensity of TNF- and iNOS and for virological examination. Negative controls were derived from autopsy myocardium specimens from 32 HIV-negative patients without known heart disease. The mortality rate for congestive heart failure between groups according to the intensity of iNOS staining was also evaluated. The mean intensity of both TNF- and iNOS staining was greater in patients with HIV-DCM (0.81 and 1.007, respectively) than in patients with IDCM (0.44 and 0.49, respectively) and controls (0.025 and 0.027, respectively). The staining intensity of both TNF- and iNOS was inversely correlated with CD4 count. The staining intensity of iNOS was greater in HIV-DCM patients with HIV/coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) or with HIV/cytomegalovirus coinfection than in IDCM patients showing infection with CVB3 and adenovirus alone. The staining intensity of iNOS correlated to mortality rate, because it was higher in HIV-DCM patients and, in particular, in those with an optical density unit >1.

Conclusions—Cytokine activation seems to play a significant pathogenetic role in both HIV-DCM and IDCM. In HIV-DCM patients, the state of immunodeficiency may favor the selection of viral variants of increased pathogenicity, influencing the clinical course of cardiomyopathy by enhancement of the inflammatory process.

Key Words: AIDS • viruses • cardiomyopathy • hormones • nitric oxide synthase

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