Peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with herpes genitalis

Cellular immunity abnormalities in patients with recurrent Bell's palsy

Recurrent Bell's palsy is a rare form of facial paralysis. To investigate the role which cellular immunity plays in the aetiology of recurrent Bell's palsy, we evaluated a series of such patients using a laboratory test specially formulated to test the cellular immune system. We measured T-lymphocyte and T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of 10 recurrent Bell's palsy patients and in 30 healthy volunteers. T-lymphocytes and T-lymphocyte subsets were reduced significantly in the patients, but the T-helper: T-cytotoxic ratio was normal. Cellular immunity abnormalities were therefore found in the peripheral blood of patients with recurrent Bell's palsy, supporting the concept that this is an immunomediated demyelinating disease.

Peripheral blood T and B lymphocyte subpopulations in Bell's palsy

A prospective clinical, virological and immunological study was performed on 25 consecutive Bell's palsy (BP) patients. Multiple cranial nerve involvement was found in 15 patients. A significant decrease in the peripheral blood T lymphocyte percentage as well as an increase in B lymphocyte percentage (p less than 0.001) were found in 13 of the BP patients during the first 24 days from the clinical onset of the paralysis. No correlation was found between the peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations and the patient's age, sex, degree of paralysis or recovery rate. No changes were detected in the levels of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM), complement (C3, C4) and antiviral antibodies to herpes simplex and zoster, EBV, cytomegalic virus, adenovirus, influenza and mumps. The clinical and immunological data of BP show a similar pattern to those of Guillain-Barre syndrome suggesting that BP may be an antoimmune demyelinating cranial polyneuritis which may be caused by a preceding viral infection.