[Clinico-immunological aspects of using levamisole in psychiatric practice]

A total of 164 patients with schizophrenia and exogenic-organic psychoses resistant to psychotropic therapy were subjected to clinico-immunological examination. The inclusion into the multiple-modality therapy of the immunomodulator levamisole, besides the general improvement, had a positive effect on the psychopathologic symptomatology and helped to reduce a number of productive syndromes, deficit abnormalities and attendant extrapyramidal manifestations. Changes in immunological parameters showed a favourable course; it was expressed in depressed levels of neurosensitization, normalization of the concentrations of serum immunoglobulins, share and absolute amounts of T- and B-lymphocytes and elevation of their functional activity. The corrective effect of levamisole on humoral immunity seems to be a significant factor of overcoming tolerance to psychopharmacotherapy. The conducted study makes it possible to recommend the use of levamisole in the treatment of resistant forms of schizophrenia running an unfavourable course, exogenic-organic and other psychoses.