A. Carletto et al., CHANGES OF NEUTROPHIL MIGRATION WITHOUT MODIFICATION OF IN-VITRO METABOLISM AND ADHESION IN BEHCETS-DISEASE, Journal of rheumatology, 24(7), 1997, pp. 1332-1336
Objective. Increase of neutrophil chemotaxis in Behcet's disease (BD)
has been described, but it is not clear whether there is a correlation
with other variables of neutrophil function and whether these modific
ations correlate with disease activity. Methods. We studied neutrophil
functions in patients with BD in the acute phase in comparison with h
ealthy control subjects and with the same patients during disease remi
ssion, with or without therapy. We investigated in vivo neutrophil mig
ration by Senn's skin window technique and measured adhesion assay and
superoxide production in circulating and migrating neutrophils after
different stimuli. Results. Neutrophil migration in vivo was 101.3 +/-
17.9 x 10(6) polymorphonuclear lymphocytes (PMN)/cm(2)/24 h in patien
ts with BD in the acute phase and 66.1 +/- 7.8 x 10(6) PMN/cm(2)/24 h
in controls (p < 0.001). No correlation was found between leukocyte co
unts and neutrophil migration. Neutrophil migration evaluated in the s
ame patients in a phase of disease remission was 58.3 +/- 10.3 x 10(6)
PMN/cm(2)/24 h (p < 0.001 vs acute phase, not significant vs controls
). The neutrophils of the exudate were normally primed to response to
the chemotactic peptide fMLP. No differences between the 2 groups were
found in superoxide production, adhesion under basal conditions, or i
n response to different stimuli by circulating and migrating neutrophi
ls. Conclusion. Abnormally high migration of neutrophils in the active
phase of BD is the only consistent neutrophil dysfunction. Since this
modification is reversed by therapy, the evaluation of in vivo neutro
phil migration may be useful in diagnosing and monitoring disease acti
vity. Blood neutrophils have normal responses to different stimuli, in
dicating they are not primed by the disease state.