[Various indicators of early diagnosis of the protracted course of acute pneumonia].

Humoral immunity, body reactivity, reparative function of connective tissue were investigated in 45 patients with poor-symptom acute pneumonia and in 29 lingering pneumonia cases. The patients were examined for the content of IgM, IgG and IgA, haptoglobin, seromucoid, collagen metabolism (by oxyproline) on treatment days 1-5 and 15-25. With prolongation of the inflammation resolution and transformation of the disease into a lingering form, there appeared an imbalance of immunoglobulins manifested by low values of IgG and IgA. The latter immunoglobulins being the most active in body defences, this reflects disturbances in the mechanism of humoral immunity responsible for antiinfectious activity. Haptoglobin concentrations were of certain diagnostic significance, its level being higher in lingering pneumonia. In addition, oxyproline (total and bound) level rose thus evidencing catabolism predominance over collagen synthesis. This may underline delayed repair of the connective tissue in the lungs. Seromucoid, on the contrary, proved an unreliable sign. It is concluded that the level of immunoglobulins (IgG and IgA, in particular) as well as high blood haptoglobin and oxyproline with its components can be considered risk factors for poor-symptom pneumonia progression into a lingering one.