HIV-1 P24 antigenaemia does not predict time of survival in AIDS patients.

The time of survival in 176 AIDS patients was investigated in relation to the presence or absence of HIV-1 p24 antigenaemia at the moment of diagnosis. The median time of survival in p24 antigen positive patients was 12 months, in p24 antigen negative patients it was 13 months; no difference in survival curves was found. Also no difference was found in survival between patients with high and low p24 antigen levels. The median time of survival in patients for whom a diagnosis of AIDS was made in the period before the introduction of zidovudine treatment was 10 months; in patients diagnosed in the period thereafter it was 18 months (p less than 0.005). However, when each period was analysed separately, no difference in survival between p24 antigen positive and negative patients was found. Separate analysis of patients with a diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma alone showed similar results. HIV-1 p24 antigenaemia at the moment of diagnosis of AIDS (both in the period before and in the period after the introduction of zidovudine) is not a predictor for time of survival.