title: Autoimmune deafness is not related to hyperreactivity to type II collagen.
abstract: The pathogenic role of anti-type II collagen was analysed in a variety of hearing losses, in age-matched controls and in different autoimmune diseases. The immune reactivity of peripheral blood lymphocytes to type II collagen was studied by the degree of proliferation measured as the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine in cultured lymphocytes. The anti-type II collagen antibodies showed a very low incidence in the hearing loss group. Lymphocytes of otosclerosis, Meniere's disease and other sensorineural deafness patients proliferated in response to concanavalin A and to type II collagen to a lower extent than peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy controls. Nonetheless, these differences were not statistically significant. The immune hyperreactivity to type II collagen cannot explain the autoimmune mechanism of hearing losses. Humoral and cellular hyperreactivities to inner ear proteins different from type II collagen, could explain the autoimmune mechanism of deafness.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, Virgen del Rocio University Infantile Hospital, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: López-González
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Monge
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Núñez-Roldán
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology*; D003638:Deafness / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D003094:Collagen