[Clinico-immunological parallels in patients with focal scleroderma]

Combined immunological examination of patients with focal scleroderma included studies of the humoral and cellular immunity parameters. The findings evidence that mainly immunological disorders underlie the pathogenesis of this disease, whose various combinations form this of that immunopathological pattern. An immunological classification of focal scleroderma is suggested. Clinical and immunological parallels in patients with different immunological variants of focal scleroderma are analyzed. The results permit a conclusion on the two basic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of focal scleroderma: (1) immunodeficiency involving the effector B component and (2) an isolated hyperfunction of natural killer cells.