[Immunological features of renal lesion in chronic alcoholism]

One hundred and sixty males whose mean age was 42 years were examined. Of them there were 122 patients with stage II chronic alcoholism (CA), 92 with renal lesion following the type of chronic glomerulonephritis (CG) (Group 1); 30 patients with CA without renal lesion (Group 2), and 42 patients had CG alone (Group 3). Methods that characterize humoral immunity were used. These included detection of circulating immune complexes (CIC) by polyethylene glycol precipitation, measurement of the concentrations of IgA, IgM, and IgG by the Mancini radial immunodiffusion assay, detection DNA antibodies by the Farre test modified by V. V. Koshelev, that of serum anticomplement activity, measurement of the levels of complement by its hemolytic activity, determination of the activity of the lysosomal enzymes acid RNAase, acid DNAase, and cathepsin by the procedure of A. A. Pokrovsky et al. Complex estimation of the content of CIC, immunoglobulins, DNA antibodies and the activity of the lysosomal enzymes in patients with renal lesion makes it possible to evaluate the severity of a pathological process and to make its prognosis.