[Leukotrienes in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis]

In the cerebrospinal fluid of two groups of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), the determinations of LTB4 and LTC4 leukotriene concentrations were performed by radioimmunoassay (RIA). In the first group of 10 patients with chronic SSPE (from 2 to 11 years), the LTB4 and LTC4 levels were 94.8 +/- 17.0 and 97.4 +/- 16.8 pg/ml respectively, and were significantly higher than those in six patients with discopathy, epilepsy and headache (p < 0.01). In the second group of 10 patients with beginning SSPE (disease duration from 1 to 11 months) LTB4 level was lower (was not different from that in the control group), while LTC4 concentration was 97.6 +/- 10.8 pg/ml and again was significantly raised. Higher LTB4 and LTC4 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with SSPE indicate that these compounds participate in chronic inflammatory reaction around cerebral veins.