Norepinephrine response in early hiv infection

Norepinephrine response to a cold pressor test was investigated in 95 homosexual men in a longitudinal study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The baseline data obtained from 76 HIV + and 19 HIV-subjects are included in this report. After the insertion of a venicatheter and following a 30 min rest, subjects immersed one of their hands in ice water for 2 min, and serial blood samples were obtained for the determination of catecholamine levels. The results show that the norepinephrine response in HIV + subjects compared to that of HIV - subjects was blunted. Examination of the responses using linear and quadratic orthogonal polynomials suggested that these differences between the two groups were primarily a function of their rate of increase in norepinephrine levels. It was observed also that in HIV + subjects, norepinephrine level peaked earlier than that in HIV - subjects. The data suggest that autonomic dysfunction is present in the early stages of HIV infection.