特発性心筋症とウイルス性心筋炎患者における末梢リンパ球のサブセット分析および幼若化能

Immunological Backgrounds in Patients with Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis

　特発性心筋症の病因に，ウイルス性心筋炎後の"自己免疫異常"が考えられて久しい^1,2）。しかし本邦では，免疫学的手法を用いて拡張型心筋症，肥大型心筋症，ウイルス性心筋炎患者を検索した報告はほとんどない。

　そこで今回われわれは，免疫学的手法を用い，拡張型心筋症とウイルス性心筋炎の臨床的検討を行ったので報告する。

Immune mechanisms may be involved in the patho-genesis of idiopathic cardiomyopathy and viral myocar-ditis. Thus, we examined the lymphocyte subsets and the activity of lymphocyte blastoformation in patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis (MC).

The results were as follows: Lymphocyte population study; OKT 8 (suppressor/ cytotoxic T-cell) was signifi-cantly lower in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy than controls. There were no significant changes of lymphocyte sub-sets in patients with MC as compared with controls. However, wide variations in lymphocyte subsets in patients with MC were demonstrated. Lymphocyte blastogenesis; there were significantly lower activities of lymphocyte blasto genesis in patients with DCM and MC than controls.

In conclusion, immune mechanisms may be involved in some patients with DCM and MC, but further studies are necessary.