Soluble interleukin 2 receptors in patients with Bell's palsy

The etiology and pathogenesis of Bell's palsy are still an enigma. Some studies have reported about the presence of cellular and humoral immune dysfunction in this disease. Recently, determination of soluble interleukin 2 receptor has proven to be a valuable clinical tool to detect dysregulation of T lymphocyte function. The concentrations of soluble interleukin 2 receptor alpha was determined in serum samples from 11 patients with Bell's palsy by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Concomitantly 8 age- and sex-matched healthy blood donor as well as six patients with dermatitis herpetiformis served as negative and positive controls, respectively. The concentration of soluble interleukin 2 receptor in serum samples from these patients was similar to that in samples from normal subjects. In contrast to this, patients with dermatitis herpetiformis showed higher values of interleukin 2 receptor. Our results showed that Bell's palsy is not accompanied by a massive activation of T cells.