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. 1981 Dec;65(12):850–854. doi: 10.1136/bjo.65.12.850

Altered cellular immunity and suppressor cell activity in patients with primary retinitis pigmentosa.

C D Heredia, J M Vich, J Huguet, J V García-Calderón, P A García-Calderón
PMCID: PMC1039693  PMID: 6459117

Abstract

A group of 54 patients with primary retinitis pigmentosa were studied and the following findings are described: response of lymphocytes to stimulation by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA); response of lymphocytes to stimulation by xenogenic retinal extract; distribution of T and T-active lymphoid populations; total suppressor activity induced by concanavalin-A (con-A). The results obtained showed a reduction in the response to PHA (p less than 0.05), a positive response of 26/45 (p less than 0.001) to stimulation by retinal extract, a reduction in the T and T-active lymphoid populations (p less than 0.01), (p less than 0.01), and a diminished total suppressor activity induced by con-A (p less than 0.01). This alterations of immune cellular responses and the diminished suppressor activity in the group of patients, in comparison with a control group of healthy subjects, seems to indicate the existence of an immune process of disregulation (autoimmunity?) in the pathology of primary retinitis pigmentosa.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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