[The activity of adenosine deaminase and its isoenzymes in patients with different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis].

An examination of 144 patients with different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis has revealed that serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) has a higher activity in the patients than in healthy individuals (a control group). The level of its activity is in proportion to the severity of a pulmonary process and achieves its peak in caseous pneumonia. In infiltrative tuberculosis, there is a direct relationship between the activity of ADA, the number of involved segments and bacterial isolation. The activity of ADA has been shown to be increased by its isoenzyme ADA-2. The unidirectional changes in the activity of ADA and the clinical and X-ray characteristics of the disease treated with antituberculous drugs make it possible to recommend this parameter as an additional criterion for evaluating the specific features of a process in the lung and the adequacy of therapy.