Lymphocyte adherence in multiple sclerosis.

It has been reported that peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) adhere to measles-infected human epithelial cells in significantly greater numbers than do lymphocytes from healthy volunteers or patients with other neurologic diseases. We have confirmed this observation in three separate studies, and have investigated the relationship of lymphocyte adherence to the clinical state. Lymphocyte adherence determination values correlated with the degree of certainty of the clinical diagnosis of MS, and lymphocyte adherence values in individual patients increased during clinical exacerbations. Judicious use of this test may facilitate the diagnosis of MS.