ABSENCE OF OLIGOCLONALLY RESTRICTED IMMUNOGLOBULINS IN TEARS FROM MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

To study the extent of systemic immunodysregulation in multiple sclero sis (MS) we measured immunoglobulin (Ig)G, A, and M levels and studied their migrational properties after agarose isoelectric focusing in se rum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and tear samples from 18 MS patients, 1 7 patients with other neurological diseases (OND), and tears and serum samples from ten normal controls (NC). A slight elevation of total Ig G, IgM and IgA levels was detected in tears from patients with MS and OND compared to NC. Of the five patients (two MS, three OND) that show ed IgG oligoclonal bands (OCB) in tears, only one MS patient showed un ique bands in tears not seen in the paired CSF and serum. We never fou nd IgA, and IgM OCB in serum, CSF or tear samples. Our results suggest that polyclonal Igs are systemically elevated during chronic neurolog ical inflammatory diseases. Oligoclonal Ig in MS, although occasionall y detectable in tears, is mainly confined to the central nervous syste m and appears restricted to class G.