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[Immunologic changes and infections in alcoholic cirrhosis]
La Semaine Des Hopitaux : Organe Fonde Par L'Association D'Enseignement Medical Des Hopitaux De Paris
|March 8, 1975
Summary
Alcoholic cirrhosis impacts immune function, showing elevated immunoglobulins and antipolio antibodies, but impaired cellular immunity with negative tuberculin skin tests and reduced lymphocytes.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Hepatology
- Microbiology
Context:
- Alcoholic cirrhosis is a severe liver disease with complex systemic effects.
- Immune dysregulation is increasingly recognized as a hallmark of chronic liver disease.
Purpose:
- To investigate humoral and cellular immune responses in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.
- To compare immune parameters in cirrhotic patients against healthy controls.
Summary:
- Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis exhibited elevated serum immunoglobulin levels, particularly IgM, and significantly higher antipolio antibody titers compared to controls.
- Cellular immunity appeared compromised, evidenced by a high rate of negative tuberculin skin tests and a reduced absolute lymphocyte count in a significant proportion of patients.
- Responses to Sabin polio vaccine and other immune markers like antistreptolysin, antistaphylolysin, and total serum complement showed less pronounced differences or remained within normal ranges.
Impact:
- These findings highlight a specific pattern of immune dysfunction in alcoholic cirrhosis, characterized by hypergammaglobulinemia and impaired cellular immunity.
- Understanding these immune alterations is crucial for managing complications and developing targeted therapies for patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.