IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION IN DOWNS-SYNDROME - PRIMARY IMMUNE-DEFICIENCY OR EARLY SENESCENCE OF THE IMMUNE-SYSTEM

Multiple immunologic disturbances are commonly observed in individuals with Down's syndrome including abnormal proportions of peripheral blo od lymphoid subsets, cellular dysfunction, and autoimmune phenomena. H owever, a majority of the individuals with this syndrome do not show c lear features of immunological disease. Many of these immunological al terations are age-related changes and can be enclosed in the spectrum of multiple signs of early senescence characteristic of Down's syndrom e. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.