IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE FACTORS DETECTED DURING CONVALESCENCE IN A PATIENT WITH SEVERE SERUM SICKNESS INDUCED BY CARBAMAZEPINE

We report on a patient with severe serum sickness induced by carbamaze pine in whom anticarbamazepine IgG antibodies were detected in the ser um. The T cells of the patient showed impairment of phytohemagglutinin -induced proliferation, and hvpergammaglobulinemia was evident. The cl inical features and immunological abnormalities were compatible with i mmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. Immunosuppressive factors were also dete cted in the patient. Their molecular weights ranged from 20,000 to 30, 000 as evaluated by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. Such immunosuppress ive cytokines were not detected in other patients with carbamazepine a llergy who did not develop the clinical manifestations of immunoblasti c lymphadenopathy. These results suggest that the T cell functional de ficiency of immunoblastic lymphadenopathy is induced by these immunosu ppressive cytokines.