New approaches to characterizing the immune status of patients with lupus erythematosus using immunoenzyme testing

A total of 78 patients with various forms of lupus erythematosus (LE) were examined with the use of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to test the possibility of antibody production in response to neuraminidase, an antigenic stimulant. Positive EIA results were recorded in 54.5% of patients with the integument LE forms and in 58.3% of those with systemic LE. The intensity of antibody production depended on the patients' sex (it was more active in females), age, and the disease duration. In the course of therapy negative results replace positive ones mostly in the patients with a disease of not long standing. A correlation was revealed between the content of circulating immune complexes measured by polyethylene glycol sedimentation and the levels of IgM and IgG. The detected relationship between the level of antineuraminidase antibodies and features of the disease course and therapy, agreement of this parameter with other immunologic characteristics, availability and informative value of the method recommend it for the assessment of immunity disorders in LE patients.