[Inaugural syndromes and syndromes associated with the LAV/HTLV-III virus. Clinical and biological symptomatology. Therapeutic outlook].

The discovery in 1983 of the virus subsequently designated as HIV and its detection in several organs and lymphoid and others cells has led to greater knowledge of the clinical manifestations related to infection with the virus. Certain manifestations seem to be directly related to the viral infection. These are essentially acute infectious manifestations occurring with the primary infection, neurological disorders involving CNS, and more classical manifestations known from the start such as general chronic lymphadenopathy, ARC or full blown AIDS. Others clinical manifestations seem to be indirectly related to the virus, and certain appear to be an immune reaction to the virus (peripheral neuropathy like Landry Guillain Barré syndrome or thrombopenic purpura). Other manifestations such as bronchial or pancreatic carcinomas may be due to virus-induced immunodepression. Finally, some pathological states are probably related to co-infections such as lingual hairy-cell leukoplakia. One of the major current difficulties is the determination of a clinical rather than epidemiological classification of these manifestations so as to carry out a multicentric therapeutic protocol. Further therapeutic trials will be carried out on patients who maintain a subnormal immune status, and only the study of the development of several hundred patients will determine whether the treatment really succeeds by preventing the development to the next stage of the disease.