SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IMMUNE STATUS OF PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Disorders seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease are also related t o the pathology of immunity. In order to study it in a more detailed m anner, some immunity parameters were examined in 30 patients with Alzh eimer's disease, 15 patients with Huntington's chorea which may have s imilar mechanisms of immunologic defects, and 15 healthy donors. A stu dy was also made of the capacity of peripheral blood lymphocytes to re spond to polyclonal mitogens in blast transformation test and accordin g to the production of immunoglobulins in vitro. The subpopulational c omposition of these cells was investigated as well. A significant rise of the count of C 8+ lymphocytes, depression of proliferative respons e, low spontaneous and high Phytolacca mitogen-stimulated immunoglobul in production have been revealed. The changes recorded in Huntington's chorea had the same nature of development. The disorders revealed all ow a conclusion about an important role that may be played by the immu ne system in these degenerative diseases of the brain.