title: Elevated tear IgG and conjunctival plasma cell infiltrate in a graft versus host disease patient.
abstract: Two patients developed graft versus host disease (GvHD) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for leukemia. One patient developed acute GvHD 12 days after transplantation, and the second developed chronic GvHD 100 days after transplantation. Tear analysis and conjunctival impression cytology were performed. The results were compared to a normal control and to another patient who was 18 months status post bone marrow transplantation with successfully treated GvHD. Tear sampling on the patient with chronic GvHD revealed greatly elevated IgG levels with an inverse IgG to IgA ratio, as compared with normals. In addition, two of three leukemia patients demonstrated decreased mucin levels in tears. Conjunctival impression cytology from the patient with chronic GvHD revealed an abundance of plasma cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284.
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Heitman
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Maskin
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Lawton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002845:Chromatography; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000378:metabolism; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M