[T- and B-systems of immunity in neurorheumatism].

The body immune system was studied in 98 neurorheumatic patients and 40 healthy children, using methods of lymphocyte blast transformation. T-rosette formation, the complement consumption reaction and lymphocyte agglutination. Antigens were presented by phytohemagglutinin and aqueous saline extracts prepared from brain, heart, liver and kidney tissues. Neurorheumatism was shown to be attended by a deficit in T-immunity system which was expressed in a reduced functional activity and decreased amounts of circulating T-lymphocytes. Elevated titres of cerebral and cardiac antibodies directly correlated with the disease severity. The detection of lymphocytes sensitized to cerebral and cardiac antigens in the patients' blood reflected the activity of the cellular autoimmunity. Examination of the T- and B-systems revealed deviations from normal already at the earliest stages of process activity.