B cell numbers and responses in patients with common variable immunodeficiency and nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the bowel.

Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia ( NLH ) of the intestine is a lymphoid proliferation which occurs in patients with common variable immunodeficiency disorders ( CVID ). The nodules contain B cells but their pathogenesis is unknown. To determine whether the presence or absence of NLH might be associated with blood B cell abnormalities we studied CVID patients with and without NLH . CVID patients with NLH had a higher percentage of B cells in their blood than those without NLH . Blood lymphocytes from both groups of CVID patients proliferated less well in Cowan Staph. A stimulated cultures than control lymphocytes. Similar trends were observed in cultures stimulated with pokeweed mitogen and analyzed by karyotype. Our results suggest that blood B cells from patients with NLH are relatively unresponsive to B cell mitogens despite their near-normal numbers.