Circulating immune complexes in patients with lymphoproliferative and myeloproliferative diseases

: Circulating immune complexes have been studied with a competitive immune-enzymatic method on 9 controls, on 34 patients with lymphoproliferative disease (41.6 +/- 26.8) and in those with myeloproliferative disease (62.1 +/- 30) have been found significantly higher than in controls (20.3 +/- 14.1). The percentage of incidence of circulating immune complexes with values greater than 35 (normal value greater than 35) is found to be 58.8% in lymphoproliferative disease and 77.7% in myeloproliferative disease. Higher values of circulating immune complexes have been observed in patients with a depressed count of circulating monocytes, of lymphocytes with a dot-like alpha-naphthyl-acetate-esterase reaction and of nitroblue tetrazolium positive granulocytes, suggesting that circulating immune complexes can modulate cellular immune response as blocking factors.