Patients: 30 patients with AIL diagnosed from 1975 to 1981.
Factors associated with longer survival:
(1) localized lymphadenopathy (Stage I or II) (p = 0.01)
(2) achievement of remission, either partial or complete, with therapy (p < 0.0001)
Factors associated with shorter survival:
(1) exposure to a drug associated with disease onset (p = 0.02)
(2) skin rash ( p < 0.0001)
(3) eosinophilia in lymph nodes (p = 0.03)
(4) elevated serum LDH (p = 0.03)
Factors possibly associated with a poor prognosis (significance not achieved due to small study size):
(1) lymphocytopenia
(2) circulating immune complexes
(3) absence of polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia
where:
• complete remission = complete disappearance of lymphadenopathy and biological abnormalities
• partial remission = reduction in lymphadenopathy by > 50%
• drug exposure preceding onset in series included penicillin, tetracycline, trichlorethylene, horse anti-tetanus serum and flumequine.
• elevated LDH = level greater than the upper limit of the reference range
• hypergammaglobulinemia = > 15 g/L
• lymphopenia < 1,500 per µL
