title: Elevated serum interferon levels in patients with Bell's palsy.
abstract: Serum interferon (IFN) levels were analyzed in patients with Bell's palsy to study the immune response in the disease. Serum samples from 91 patients were assayed for antiviral activity using a bioassay. The IFN levels in the serum were elevated in the acute and convalescent phases as compared with control subjects. The serum IFN-gamma levels were analyzed by radioimmunoassay in 32 of the patients: the IFN-gamma levels were alike in the acute and convalescent phases and the control subjects. Neutralization with specific antisera against IFN-alpha, -beta, and -gamma on 15 serum samples of 11 patients with elevated IFN activity showed a complex pattern that indicates that the antiviral activity was due to a mixture of IFNs and possibly also due to other factors. The elevated IFN levels indicate a low-grade antiviral response that may reflect the reactivation of a viral infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Akademiska Sjukhuset, Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alm
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thomander
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001681:Biological Assay; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000032:analysis*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D007371:Interferon-gamma