Implication of pulmotropic autoantibodies in the immunopathogenesis of community-acquired pneumonia in elderly and senile patients

The authors assessed the relationship between the clinical severity of community-acquired pneumonia and the specific features of its immunopathogenesis. Leukocyte migration and the levels of different classes of immunoglobulins were analyzed successively. The normalized level of pulmotropic autoantibodies and the magnitude of leukocyte phagocytosis were also studied. The therapy performed over time showed an increase in the leukocyte migration inhibition reaction, a fall of the levels of autoantibodies with a relative decrease in their pulmotropic fraction, and a reduction in the neutrophil functional reserve to normal values. A high Spearman's rank correlation was shown for the pairs of signs: the levels of pulmotropic antibodies, on the one hand, and the processes of cell migration and subsequent phagocytosis, on the other hand. The authors have proposed to consider the immunopathogenetic approach migration-autoantibodies-phagocytosis to immunocorrection of community-acquired pneumonia in relation to impairments of these or those links of immunopathogenesis.

community-acquired pneumonia, patients over 60 years of age, role of pulmotropic autoantibodies