[Effects of endogenous cortisol on the function of nonspecific T-suppressors and quantitative characteristics of main subpopulations of circulating T-lymphocytes in leprosy].

Serum hydrocortisone levels, cellular immunity and their correlation were studied in 38 patients with lepromatous lepra in regression. 12 of them had exacerbation of specific polyneuritis. The latter condition is accompanied by a rise in hydrocortisone concentrations. Relative number of blood CD8+ lymphocytes correlated positively with hydrocortisone content, whereas the quantity of CD4+ cells correlated negatively. In patients without neurological complications in negative correlation between blood hydrocortisone and lymphocyte glucocorticoid sensitivity there was a positive relationship between nonspecific T-suppressor activity and hydrocortisone levels. The involvement of endogenic hydrocortisone in T-suppressor activity regulation in regressive lepra can help understand the role of endocrine dysfunction and stress in pathogenesis of lepra relapses.