[Clinico-immunological parallels in non-coronary diseases of the myocardium]

Profound disturbances of the immunologic homeostasis system are a characteristic feature of cardiac muscle inflammations. Depressed rosette formation in patients with non-coronarogenic diseases of the myocardium is associated with impaired maturation of immunocompetent cells and with severe inhibition of suppressor function, this resulting in perversed proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin. In patients with dystrophic and functional diseases of the cardiac muscle the activity of short-lived suppressors is unchanged; therefore examination of this parameter may be helpful in the differential diagnosis between inflammatory and dystrophic diseases of the myocardium.