Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, Munich, Germany.
BMC Psychiatry. 2012 May 18;12:29. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-12-29.
Infections and immunological processes are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome (TS). To determine possible common underlying immunological mechanisms, we focused on innate immunity and studied markers of inflammation, monocytes, and monocyte-derived cytokines.
In a cross-sectional study, we used current methods to determine the number of monocytes and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in 46 children, adolescents, and adult patients suffering from TS and in 43 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6), soluble CD14 (sCD14), IL1-receptor antagonist (IL1-ra), and serum neopterin were detected by immunoassays.
We found that CRP and neopterin levels and the number of monocytes were significantly higher in TS patients than in healthy controls. Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha, sIL1-ra, and sCD14 were significantly lower in TS patients. All measured values were within normal ranges and often close to detection limits.
The present results point to a monocyte dysregulation in TS. This possible dysbalance in innate immunity could predispose to infections or autoimmune reactions.
感染和免疫过程可能与妥瑞氏症（TS）的发病机制有关。为了确定可能存在的共同潜在免疫机制，我们专注于先天免疫，并研究了炎症标志物、单核细胞和单核细胞衍生的细胞因子。
在一项横断面研究中，我们使用当前的方法来确定 46 名患有 TS 的儿童、青少年和成年患者以及 43 名年龄和性别相匹配的健康对照者的单核细胞数量和 C 反应蛋白（CRP）水平。通过免疫测定法检测肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白细胞介素 6（IL-6）、可溶性 CD14（sCD14）、IL1 受体拮抗剂（IL1-ra）和血清新蝶呤。
我们发现 TS 患者的 CRP 和新蝶呤水平以及单核细胞数量明显高于健康对照组。TS 患者的血清 TNF-α、sIL1-ra 和 sCD14 浓度显著降低。所有测量值均在正常范围内，且常接近检测极限。
目前的结果表明 TS 中存在单核细胞失调。这种先天免疫的可能失衡可能容易发生感染或自身免疫反应。
