Cellular immunity aspects in elderly subjects with Paget's disease of bone

The etiology and pathophysiology of Paget's disease of bone are not yet entirely defined. There is evidence suggesting the participation of the immune system in the pathophysiology of this disease. Hence, we examined T cell mitogenic proliferation, NK cell activity, T cell subsets, interleukin-1 (IL-1), and interleukin-6(IL-6) production by peripheral mononuclear cells and IL-6 levels in the peripheral blood sera of 17 Paget's patients aged (74.5 +/- 2.4 years) and of 17 elderly control subjects (74.7 +/- 2.2 years). Pagetic patients were found to have immunological parameters not significantly different from those of the elderly control group. Moreover, the results obtained from Paget's patients with the active form of the disease did not differ from those of patients with inactive disease. Therefore, at least on the basis of the parameters used in this study, it is possible to conclude that the cellular immunity of Paget's patients is not different from that of elderly control subjects and that the role of IL-1 and IL-6 in this disease should be reviewed.