[The functional activity of neutrophils in paranoid schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease].

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the radical-producing function of neutrophils in paranoid schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS:The study included 40 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 22 with Alzheimer's disease. To assess the functional activity of neutrophils, whole blood samples were analyzed using the chemiluminescent method with two-step cell stimulation. Indicators of radical-producing activity of neutrophils in patients were compared to those in age-matched healthy people. RESULTS:The quantitative indicators of radical-producing activity of neutrophils in the paranoid schizophrenia group and in the Alzheimer's disease group correspond to reference intervals of healthy donors, however almost one third of patients with paranoid schizophrenia had an altered shape of the chemiluminescent curve. CONCLUSION:The neutrophil immune response might be involved in the pathogenesis of paranoid schizophrenia only in some cases.