EPIDEMIOLOGICAL-STUDY ON PARAMYXOVIRUS ANTIBODY TITERS IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS, SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS, AND RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 238  (4) , 431-443
Abstract
The level of measles antibodies (hemagglutination inhibition [HI] assay) and parainfluenza-1 (Sendai) antibodies (complement fixation [CF] test was determined in serum of 107 control individuals (38 women), 176 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (93 women), 717 relatives to MS patients (361 women), 9 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (all women), 46 relatives to SLE patients (28 women), 57 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (37 women) and 143 relatives to RA patients (85 women). In MS and their relatives the HI titer value was significantly raised and the CF titer only insignificantly increased. In SLE the HI titers were insignificantly raised but the CF values were significantly decreased. In RA HI values were insignificantly raised, but the CF values were significantly decreased among females lacking rheumatoid factor in serum. In the individuals under study HI values did not correlate with CF values. In MS 2 groups of patients could be traced, i.e., 1 group with raised HI values and 1 with normal titers. That all 3 disease entities may be slow virus diseases is discussed.