Premium
TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR: STATUS IN REACTIONS IN LEPROSY BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT
Author(s) -
SEHGAL VIRENDRA N.,
BHATTACHARYA SAMBIT N.,
CHATTOPADHAYA DEBASISH,
SAHA KUNAL
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1993.tb02816.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tumor necrosis factor alpha , leprosy , immunology , necrosis , immunity , gastroenterology , cellular immunity , immune system
Background. Tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF) is an important mediator of immunologic responses to chronic infections. Method. Sera from 25 patients with acute reactions (6 with type 1 upgrading, 8 with type 1 downgrading, and 11 with type 2 reaction) were assayed for TNF before treatment and after clinical remission of the acute episode. The results were compared with serum TNF levels in healthy controls and fresh pauci‐and multibacillary leprosy patients. Results. TNF levels in acute reactions were higher than in the control groups (significant only in upgrading reaction). In type 1 reaction, serum TNF concentrations fell to approximately the levels of the control patients following treatment and clinical remission. In type 2 reaction, however, levels of TNF were seen to rise further (became statistically significant) as a result of therapy induced clinical remission. Conclusions. The rise in TNF‐A level in reactions in leprosy is significant and indicates its active role in immunopathogenesis. The corresponding decline in TNF‐a levels seen following regression of type 1 (lepra) reactions was not observed in the case of type 2 (ENL) reaction. This probably reflects the enhancement of cellular immunity in such cases and/or an attempt by the immunologic process to overcome specific inhibitors.