Abnormal urinary protein excretion in HIV-infected patients.

HIV infection has been associated with a variety of renal diseases, although the pathogenesis of such dysfunction is unknown. To determine whether HIV-infection is associated with glomerular permeability defects, and if so, the prevalence of the finding, we studied patients with various stages of HIV infection. Urine samples from 505 outpatients with HIV infection (without hypertension, azotemia, or dipstick proteinuria), 41 normal controls and 40 febrile non-HIV positive, hospitalized patients with infectious diseases were analyzed for the urinary microalbumin/creatinine ratio (U microA/Cr), a sensitive indicator of incipient renal disease in diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and the urinary beta 2-microglobulin/creatinine ratio (U beta 2/Cr), an indicator of renal tubular function. Microalbumin concentration was measured by ELISA. Beta 2-microglobulin concentration was measured by an enzyme immunoassay. HIV-infected outpatients had higher mean U microA/Cr than normal subjects, but not febrile hospitalized controls. The prevalence of an increased U microA/Cr was 29.8% in the HIV-infected outpatient population. There was no difference in the ratio between Black and White HIV-infected outpatients, HIV-infected outpatients treated or untreated with zidovudine (AZT), or HIV infected outpatients untreated with any drug. There was no difference between U microA/Cr in stage II, III or IV HIV-infected patients when assessed by analysis of variance. A similar pattern was noted with U beta 2/Cr. The prevalence of an increased U beta 2/Cr ratio was 37.7% in HIV-infected outpatients. Increased urinary albumin and beta 2-microglobulin excretion, not associated with drug therapy, is present in patients with early HIV infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)