Depression of lymphocyte reactivity by serum from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Abstract We have investigated the presence of serum factors (serum inhibitory factor and rosette inhibitory factor) which inhibit the blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin and E-rosette function of normal lymphocytes in patients affected with dilated cardiomyopathy. We found them to be present in significantly higher levels with respect to a "control disease" group ( P P P Serum inhibitory factors may affect lymphocyte subpopulations, accounting for a T-suppressor functional defect correlated with greater severity of the disease.