Aspects concerning the lymphocytic nonimmune and immune rosettes in Graves' disease and thyroiditis.

Evaluation of the role of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in thyroid-gland pathology has been carried out by calculating the percentage of nonimmune (ER) and immune rosettes (EAC)--(erythrocyte-antibody-complement), i.e. of T--(thymus-dependent) and B lymphocytes (bursa equivalent) in the peripheral blood. The mean percentages found in the 10 normal subjects under study were of 65.8% ER (ranging between 56.6% and 74.9%) and 15.1% EAC (ranging between 12.2% and 17.9%. In the 8 nontreated patients with Graves' disease the means were of 77.5% and 12.9%, respectively. For the same parameter the following values were also found: in 6 patients in remission, 62.2% and 22.7%, respectively; in 8 patients with acute and subacute thyroiditis, 87.5% and 13.4%, respectively; in 7 patients with thyroiditis under remission, 64.1% and 24.2%, respectively.