[Activity of natural killer cells of peripheral blood in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and their clinical significance].

The authors studied the activity of peripheral blood natural killer cells in 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis by 51 Cr release assays with K-568 target cells. Data on the comparative clinico-immunological analysis by the cytotoxicity index are submitted. There is a relation between the nature of rheumatoid arthritis course and the presence of systemic manifestations such as nodules, polyneuropathy, proteinuria, carditis, levels of the rheumatoid factor, anti-DNA, CRP, cryoglobulinemia and changed activity of peripheral blood natural killer cells. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis having a combination of marked changes of humoral immunity with changed cytotoxicity of the peripheral blood natural killer cells activity can be referred to the group of risk.