HUMORAL IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN SMOKING AND NON-SMOKING PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Quantitative changes in immunoglobulins A (IgA), IgE, IgG, IgM, and B lymphocytes in peripheral blood were estimated in non-smoking and smoking patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study included 21 non-smoking patients with COPD, 20 smoking patients with COPD, 20 healthy non-smokers, and 21 healthy smokers. The plasma immunoglobulin concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay. A B-lymphocyte population was analyzed by flow cytometry. In the smokers with COPD, IgA and IgE levels were significantly higher than those in the smokers without COPD, as well as in the non-smoking patients with COPD versus the healthy non-smokers. An increase in plasma IgG levels occurred only in the smoking patients with COPD. There were no differences in IgM and B lymphocyte levels in both smoking and non-smoking patients with COPD versus the respective groups of healthy individuals. The smoking patients with COPD showed a moderate positive correlation between total plasma IgE levels and smoking index. The findings suggest that IgA, IgE, and IgG are of pathogenetic value.