Immunologic and virologic findings in hemophiliacs do not correlate with ecto-5'nucleotidase activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes. A difference with homosexual men.

It has been recently demonstrated that ecto-5'nucleotidase (5'NT) activity is significantly decreased in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of homosexual men. This paper reports a study of PBL 5'NT activity in 38 hemophiliacs at risk for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The enzyme activity was correlated to the immunologic and virologic data. T-cell subset distribution was unbalanced and directly correlated with the cumulative amount of AHF infused. PBL 5'NT activity, however, was similar to that of healthy controls. 6 patients displayed serum antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but no decrease in PBL 5'NT activity. In conclusion, these data indicate that both heavily treated and seropositive as well as untreated hemophiliacs have normal PBL 5'NT activity. This striking dissimilarity between homosexual men and hemophiliacs suggests that some immunologic alterations leading to 5'NT deficiency occur in the former only.