[Immunological aspects of using plasmapheresis, leukocytapheresis and lymphocytoplasmapheresis in treating nonspecific aortoarteritis].

Nine female patients with Takayasu's disease have been studied. Some changes in humoral and cellular immunity, an increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a decrease in peripheral blood flow have been found. The patients were treated by plasmapheresis, lymphocytapheresis or lymphocytoplasmapheresis, the way of treatment depending on the nature of changes revealed. The treatment resulted in normalization (in some cases only a trend towards normalization was observed) of immunological data, a decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and improvement of the peripheral blood flow. All the patients responded well to the treatment.