Study Of The Cellular Immune Function In Epileptic Patients

In rencent years, the relation between epilepsy and immunity is gradually attended. Disturbance of immune function in epileptic patients has been reported. In order to study the relation betweent epilepsy and immunity, we have done as follows: 1. Exploring the cellular immune function of epileptic patients. 2. Seeking the reasons which affect T lymphocyte subpopulations. 3. Studying the feasibity that T lymphocyte subpopulations is regarded as a subsidiary index.115 epileptic patients have been examed by SAP method. The result: The number of CD3+ lymphocyte and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio were lower, while the number of CD8+ lymphocyte was higher in epileptic patients than those in control group(P<0.05). There are a disturbance of immune function in epileptic patients. The non-treating group compared to control group had few CD3+, more CD8+ lymphocyte , and lower CD4+/CD8+ ratio(P<0.05).There was no significant difference between treating group and non-treating group. Our results indicate that the disturbance of cellular immune function had existed in epileptic patients before treatmeat. We had used dexamethasone to treat 20 refractroy epileptic patients, The results show that there were obivious change for T lymphocyte subpopulations. It proves that dexamethasone can regulate the cellular immune function . We observe: 1 All epileptic seizure were disappear or reduced by taking dexamethesone, all patients' spike or spike-slow waves were disappear or reduced. 2. CD8+ lymphocyte was obvious increased in West syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Begin childhood epilepsy with centrotremporal spike, Epilepsy with grand and mal(GTCS) seizures on awakening, CD3+ lymphocyte was decreased. 3. Compared course of disease >10 years to <10 years, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio was decreased(P<0.05), and compared the patients with abnormal CT or MRI, CD3+ lymphocyte was decreased(P<0.05). It is the provement that there is a seriouse T lymphocyte subpopulations in epileptic patients with longer couse of disease and abnormal CT. There are no significant correlation between the change of T lymphocyte subpopulations and sex, frequency, febrile seizure, diffcult labour, EEG. The conclusion:There are the cellular immune function in some epileptic patients. It is possible that many facts lead to diturbance of immune function. The examination of T lymphocyte subpopulations, especially CD8+ lymphocyte, can be conducted as a subsidiary index which directs to use drugs for treatment of refractory epilepsy, Maybe, some refractory epileptic patients, for instance: West syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, can be helped by the immunosuppressant.