Effect of atropine-pethidine premedication on peripheral blood lymphocytes

Phenothiazines, which are also employed for premedication, are known to have an inhibitory effect on the cell-mediated immunity. Therefore, the effect was studied in nine patients of the most commonly used atropine-pethidine premedication on the leucocyte and differential count, the number of T-and B-lymphocytes and the lymphocyte transformation by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), Concanavalin A (ConA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) in cultures of separated lymphocytes and of whole blood. The premedication increased the proportion and absolute number of surface immunoglobulin-positive (B) lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and reduced the PHA and PPD responses in whole blood cultures. These vague changes in the immune response after premedication are of no importance in clinical work.