[Changes in the functional activity of blood lymphocytes in patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis during...

Lymphocyte function was studied by the Rigler method modified by V. A. Kolesnikov et. al. in 118 patients with different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis and 15 healthy subjects. This parameter was found to depend on the nature and dynamics of a tuberculosis process and the predominance of the exudative or productive inflammation phase. A considerable reduction of lymphocyte functional activity (LFA) up to 60% was found in the presence of dissemination in pulmonary tissue. Transition from infiltration to destruction was marked by a average rise of LFA from 67 to 79%. The initial LFA parameters can be taken into account as a prognostic criterion. Prescription of immunity stimulators in destructive pulmonary tuberculosis requires LFA evaluation by the above method.