INTERFERON-PRODUCTION INVITRO BY LEUKOCYTES FROM PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS AND RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

Abstract

The production of interferons (IFN) by peripheral blood leukocytes from normal donors and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was investigated in response to several IFN inducers in vitro. IFN responses of RA donors did not differ significantly from the normal group; those of SLE patients were significantly reduced and many of these patients failed to respond at all. Patients with active or acute SLE responded significantly less well than those with inactive disease. There was no apparent effect of steroid therapy on the IFN responses of SLE or RA patients. A basic immunological defect of the circulating leukocytes of SLE patients, which may be responsible for some of the in vitro lymphocyte anomalies reported for this disease, was indicated.