AUTOANTIBODY FORMATION AFTER ALLOGENEIC BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION -CORRELATION WITH THE RECONSTITUTION OF CD5-CELLS AND OCCURRENCE OF GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE( B)

Manifestations of autoimmune diseases are common in patients who have received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Autoantibodies have been reported in these patients but the source and clinical signi ficance of these autoantibodies are still obscure. In the present stud y the kinetics of autoantibody formation and the reconstitution of CD5 (+) B cells was followed in 21 patients who were submitted to allogene ic BMT. Anti-nuclear, anti-smooth muscle, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, anti-reticulin and rheumatoid factor were found at a frequ ency of 25%, 17%, 24%, 22% and 10% respectively after BMT. Anti-double stranded DNA levels were mildly elevated in 15% of samples. The scree ning for anti-extractable nuclear antigen, anti-mitochondrial, anti-ga stric parietal cell, anti-proteinase III, anti-myeloperoxidase, anti-l actoferrin antibodies was negative. The percentage and absolute count of CD5(+) B cells increased with time after allogeneic BMT. Those pati ents with anti-nuclear or anti-smooth muscle antibodies had significan tly higher CD5(+) B cell counts than those without these two antibodie s. Correlations of CD5(+) B cell counts with other autoantibodies were negative. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in eight of the patients and chronic GVHD in four patients, but the frequency of autoantibodies had no relationship with the occurrence of acute or chr onic GVHD.