A distinctive follicular hyperplasia in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the AIDS related complex. A pre-lymphomatous state for B cell lymphomas?

The histological features of a distinctive follicular hyperplasia observed in twenty-nine male patients with AIDS or the AIDS related complex are described. The group includes four patients with Kaposi's sarcoma, five with lymphoma, 16 with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy, and four with hemophilia. Histopathology is correlated with lymphocyte phenotyping and clinical findings and a model for the pathogenesis of this unique syndrome is presented.