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Analysis of natural killer cells in patients with idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia
R Conte1, A Dinota, P L Tazzari
1Servizio di Immunoematologia e Trasfusionale, Istituto di Ematologia L. e A. Seragnoli, Bologna, Italia.
Abstract:
A functional and phenotypic analysis of the circulating natural killer (NK) cell population was carried out in 9 patients with idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia (IAHA). The NK-cell activity, assessed by a sensitive method based on the inhibition of target clone growth in plasma semisolid medium, was markedly decreased in all patients as compared with normal controls and was not restored by stimulation of the cells with recombinant alpha interferon (alpha-IFN). Analysis of peripheral blood phenotypic markers showed that cells bearing Leu7 and CD16 antigens numbered in the normal range. These findings suggest that IAHA patients exhibit a functional impairment of the NK compartment.