[The influence of atypical neuroleptics on the immune system of patients with schizophrenia]

Humoral and cellular immunological parameters were studied in 59 schizophrenic patients and 38 healthy subjects. It was demonstrated that high level of circulating immune complexes is characteristic of the acute state (a relapse) of schizophrenia. The level of this parameter was higher in patients before treatment vs. healthy controls; after therapy with olanzapine this level decreased and did not differ from that of controls. The functional activity of immunocompetent cells (the phagocyte activity of neutrophiles and monocytes, the cytotoxic activity of natural killer lymphocytes, interleukin-2, and interleukin-10 production) did not depend on the clinical condition of the patients and the therapy and was significantly lower than that of controls both before and during the treatment. Attention should be paid to the fact that the level of IL-1beta production in schizophrenia patients did not differ from that of controls. After eight weeks of therapy the level of IL-1beta production increased significantly in all groups of patients and was significantly higher than that of controls during the whole observation period irrespectively of sex and patients' response to the therapy.