Splenectomy causes auto-antibody formation.
Serum from 45 splenectomised patients was screened for 8 auto antibodies and compared with controls, either age and sex matched (35) or the same patients measured before splenectomy (10). Sixteen splenectomised patients had demonstrable auto-antibodies compared with 7 controls (p less than 0.05). Three patients who did not have auto-antibodies before splenectomy developed them after an interval of a few months. It is suggested that splenectomy-leads to loss of suppressor cell activity and this permits the development of auto-antibodies.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000276:immunology; D013156:Splenectomy; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies