Hana I, Vrubel J, Pekarek J, Cech K
Dept. of Immunology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czechia.
Biotherapy. 1996;9(1-3):91-5. doi: 10.1007/BF02628664.
A group of 222 patients suffering from cellular immunodeficiency (CID), frequently combined with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and/or chronic viral infections by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and/or cytomegalovirus (CMV), were immunologically investigated and treated with transfer factor (TF). The age range was 17-77 years. In order to elucidate the influence of aging on the course of the disease and on treatment, 3 subgroups were formed: 17-43 years, 44-53 years, and 54-77 years. Six injections of Immodin (commercial preparation of TF by SEVAC, Prague) were given in the course of 8 weeks. When active viral infection was present, IgG injections and vitamins were added. Immunological investigation was performed before the start of therapy, and subsequently according to need, but not later than after 3 months. The percentages of failures to improve clinical status of patients were in the individual subgroups, respectively: 10.6%, 11.5% and 28.9%. The influence of increasing age on the percentage of failures to normalize low numbers of T cells was very evident: 10.6%, 21.2% and 59.6%. In individuals uneffected by therapy, persistent absolute lymphocyte numbers below 1,200 cells were found in 23.1%, 54.5% and 89.3% in the oldest group. Statistical analysis by Pearson's Chi-square test, and the test for linear trend proved that the differences among the individual age groups were significant. Neither sex, nor other factors seemed to influence the results. The results of this pilot study show that age substantially influences the failure rate of CID treatment using TF. In older people, it is easier to improve the clinical condition than CID: this may be related to the diminished number of lymphocytes, however, a placebo effect cannot be totally excluded.
对一组222例细胞免疫缺陷（CID）患者进行了免疫学研究并给予转移因子（TF）治疗，这些患者常合并慢性疲劳综合征（CFS）和/或由EB病毒（EBV）和/或巨细胞病毒（CMV）引起的慢性病毒感染。年龄范围为17至77岁。为了阐明年龄对疾病进程和治疗的影响，分为3个亚组：17 - 43岁、44 - 53岁和54 - 77岁。在8周内给予6次Immodin（由布拉格的SEVAC公司生产的TF商业制剂）注射。当存在活动性病毒感染时，加用IgG注射剂和维生素。在治疗开始前进行免疫学检查，随后根据需要进行，但不迟于3个月后。各亚组中患者临床状况未改善的比例分别为：10.6%、11.5%和28.9%。年龄增长对低数量T细胞恢复正常失败率的影响非常明显：10.6%、21.2%和59.6%。在未受治疗影响的个体中，年龄最大组中持续绝对淋巴细胞数低于1200个细胞的比例分别为23.1%、54.5%和89.3%。通过Pearson卡方检验和线性趋势检验的统计分析证明，各年龄组之间的差异具有显著性。性别和其他因素似乎均未影响结果。这项初步研究的结果表明，年龄对使用TF治疗CID的失败率有显著影响。在老年人中，改善临床状况比CID更容易：这可能与淋巴细胞数量减少有关，然而，不能完全排除安慰剂效应。
