Humoral and cellular immunity in progressive systemic sclerosis.

There is ever increasing evidence that immune disturbances can play an essential role in the pathogenesis of progressive systemic sclerosis. However, there are still a great many controversial opinions and complex studies in this domain are few. Tests of lymphocyte blastic transformation and of leukocyte migration inhibition as well as E and EAC rosette tests were performed and the serum level of A, G and M immunoglobulins and complement were estimated in 13 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis. The increase of serum IgA, IgG and IgM and the decrease of early and delayed E rosette formation was observed in the patients as compared with the control group. The patients also presented increase spontaneous and PHA induced lymphocyte blastic transformation. The results support the hypothesis of the role played by immune disturbances in the pathogenesis of progressive systemic sclerosis.