CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF LONGITUDINAL COMPLEMENT MEASUREMENTS IN RECIPIENTS OF BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANT

Overall activity of classical complement pathway, C3 and C4 levels, le vel of circulating immune complexes and concentration of serum immunog lobulins were measured in 38 patients transplanted with HLA-identical bone marrow before and after transplantation for at least 4 years. Cha nges of complement parameters and their association with acute and chr onic GVHD and with infections were analysed, A strong association was found between the development of chronic GVHD and hypercomplementaemia measured in 16 long-term survivors, Low pre-transplantation C4 activi ty was found to predict the development of severe acute GVHD. These fi ndings indicate that longitudinal complement measurements may have cli nical value in BMT patients.