Studies of phagocytic cell function in rheumatoid arthritis. I. Phagocytic and metabolic activities of neutrophils.

The polymorphonuclear cells (PMN's) of 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were analyzed for endocytic ability and metabolic capacity and were compared to those from a healthy control group over short intervals. The results of these studies indicate that the phagocytic activity (PA) and the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye reduction were significantly decreased in RA patients after 30 minutes of incubation. The rheumatoid patients showed a higher percentage of band cells and hypersegmented nuclei of their peripheral blood PMN's (PB-PMN's). No correlation was found between neutrophil functions and other parameters of the rheumatoid disease activity.