Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Allowed:

• Prophylactic pentamidine for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
• Topical steroids.

Patients must:

• Be HIV positive. Fit one of the zidovudine use groups listed in Disease Status. Be able to give informed consent.

Allowed:

• Basal cell carcinoma of the skin, in situ carcinoma of the cervix, Kaposi's sarcoma.

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition:

Patients with the following conditions or symptoms are excluded:

• Major organ allograft.
• Significant cardiac disease or central nervous system lesions.
• Known previous intolerance to zidovudine (AZT) at 500 mg/day.
• Active opportunistic infections. Score of > 0.5 on the ACTG AIDS dementia complex staging test. Any focal abnormality on neurologic exam.

Concurrent Medication:

Excluded:

• Chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or other immunotherapy.
• Other investigational drugs, agents, or devices.
• Beta-blockers.
• Steroids other than topical.
• Antihypertensive medication other than diuretics.

Concurrent Treatment:

Excluded:

• Radiation therapy.

Patients with the following are excluded:

• History of seizures. Concurrent neoplasms not specifically allowed.
• Concomitant conditions listed in Exclusion Co-existing Conditions.

Prior Medication:

Excluded within 30 days prior to study entry:

• Anti-HIV medication other than zidovudine (AZT).
• Immunomodulators.
• Systemic steroids.
• Interferons.
• Interleukins.
• Other chemotherapy.

Prior Treatment:

Excluded within 30 days prior to study entry:

• Radiation therapy.

Excluded within 4 weeks prior to study entry:

• Groups B, C, D
• Transfusions.

Active substance abuse.