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Monitoring immune function during immunosuppressive therapy
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine
|April 1, 1976
Summary
Immunosuppressive therapy for connective tissue disorders worsened immune function, increasing anergy, lymphopenia, and abnormal PHA response. However, these immune changes correlated with treatment efficacy, suggesting their utility in monitoring immunosuppression.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Connective tissue disorders often involve immune dysregulation.
- Assessing immune function is crucial for managing these conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on non-specific immune function parameters in patients with connective tissue disorders.
- To determine if immune function changes correlate with clinical efficacy and can serve as monitoring tools.
Main Methods:
- Studied 29 patients with various connective tissue disorders.
- Assessed immune parameters including anergy, lymphopenia, and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response before and after immunosuppressive treatment.
Main Results:
- Immunosuppressive treatment significantly increased the incidence of anergy (31%), lymphopenia (66%), and abnormal PHA response (77%) compared to baseline.
- Clinical efficacy correlated with lymphopenia and depressed PHA responses, with normal parameters in uncontrolled disease.
- Paradoxically, delayed hypersensitivity responses improved in three patients.
Conclusions:
- Immunosuppressive therapy demonstrably alters immune function parameters in connective tissue disorder patients.
- Lymphocyte counts and PHA responses are effective and simple methods for monitoring immunosuppression efficacy.