Lymphocyte function in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis. Tests of suppressive activity generation by concanavalin A and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

Lymphocyte suppressive activity after stimulation with Con A and lymphocyte function as the effectors in the ADCC test had been examined in 68 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (GN) and in 20 healthy controls. Lymphocyte suppressive activity was lower in patients with chronic GN than in the healthy individuals. In regard to chronic proliferative GN and mesangial GN the difference was statistically significant. The lymphocyte efficiency in the ADCC test was generally adequate in patients with chronic GN and none of the morphological types showed significant deviation from the control group. In the general analysis of patients with chronic proliferative, mesangial, membrano-proliferative and membranous GN a decrease of lymphocyte suppressive activity below the lower standard limit has been detected (45% of cases). A similar defect in lymphocyte function in the ADCC test has been found in 18.6%. A statistically significant relationship between the lymphocyte function disorders and the high clinical dynamism of GN has been noticed, although in some cases there was a deviation from this tendency. It is supposed that circulating immune complexes, detected in some patients with chronic GN are not the only decisive factors responsible for defects in lymphocyte function.