Interleukin-2 as therapy for hiv disease

To the Editor: The article by Kovacs et al. on interleukin-2 therapy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (March 2 issue)¹ highlights the dilemma that this disease poses: how to get rid of a virus whose replication is enhanced by activation of the immune system. The increase in the HIV RNA level after an infusion of interleukin-2 was most consistent in patients with CD4 counts of 200 or fewer cells per cubic millimeter. In this group, interleukin-2 was associated with “few immunologic improvements, and substantial toxic effects,” but increased levels of HIV RNA were also observed in patients.