[Density of immunoreactive cells in the spleen in drug fatalities]

66 autopsied drug-related death cases in the Institute of Legal Medicine of Cologne of the years 1979 to 1989 were morphologically examined to get information whether cytological investigations of the spleen reveal a damage of the immune system. The weights of the spleen were registered and immunoreactive cells, i.e. macrophages, B- and T-lymphocytes, were quantitative counted. Neither a significant alteration of the weights of the spleen nor an important change of the density of the immunoreactive cells could be registered.