[The characteristics of the immune status of patients with Alzheimer's disease]

Disorders seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease are also related to the pathology of immunity. In order to study it in a more detailed manner, some immunity parameters were examined in 30 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 15 patients with Huntington's chorea which may have similar mechanisms of immunologic defects, and 15 healthy donors. A study was also made of the capacity of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond to polyclonal mitogens in blast transformation test and according to the production of immunoglobulins in vitro. The subpopulation composition of these cells was investigated as well. A significant rise of the count of C 8+ lymphocytes, depression of proliferative response, low spontaneous and high Phytolacca mitogen-stimulated immunoglobulin production have been revealed. The changes recorded in Huntington's chorea had the same nature of development. The disorders revealed allow a conclusion about an important role that may be played by the immune system in these degenerative diseases of the brain.