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Lymphocyte subset, lymphocyte proliferative response, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor in anorexic patients
T Nagata1, N Kiriike, W Tobitani
1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan.
Background:
Despite a prominent malnourished state, anorexics are unexpectedly free from infection. Several studies have shown that the cell-mediated immunity of anorexics might be well preserved, but results are conflicting.
Methods:
Lymphocyte subsets, lymphoproliferative response to phytohemagglutinin, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were measured in 7 patients with anorexia nervosa restricting type (RAN), 6 with anorexia nervosa binge-eating/purging type (ANBP), and 8 controls (C).
Results:
Compared with controls, significantly elevated percentage of CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratio in ANBP was found. Although there was no significant difference in lymphoproliferative response among the three groups, sIL-2R in RAN was significantly lower than that in the C group, but not in ANBP.
Conclusions:
Although detail mechanism still remains to be unknown, some kinds of compensatory mechanism for cell-mediated immunity is working, especially in chronic underweight anorexic patients.