[Immunologic aspects of acute viral hepatitis at different ages].

Patients of different age, among them 103 with viral hepatitis B and 120 with viral hepatitis A, were examined for immunoregulatory subpopulations of T lymphocytes and for the effects of HBsAg preparations and human liver-specific lipoprotein (LSL) on the blood E-RFC content. The patients of both mature and elderly age with viral hepatis A demonstrated insignificant, readily reversible alterations in cellular immunity. The patients with viral hepatitis B, particularly elderly ones, showed an evident tendency toward the predominance of the suppressor effects, which correlated with the disease gravity. During incubation of lymphocytes with HBsAg, the stimulating effect was mostly revealed. However, in elderly patients experiencing the stage of late convalescence, there was an increase in HBsAg-specific suppression depending on the disease gravity. The suppressive action of LSL was only recorded in single cases.