[Morphologic characteristics of the changes in the thymus and spleen in alcoholism]

Abstract

Morphological studies of the thymus and the spleen were made in 54 alcohol addicts and 53 cases of other death cause at the age from 25 to 65 yr. Alcoholism was found to induce the reduction in thymus size and the number of its lobes with a simultaneous decrease of lymphocyte content in them; in the lymphatic follicles of the spleen (in the presence of infectious processes) absence of bright multiplication centres and alkaline phosphatase activity in their mantle zone cells was noted. There appeared to be a statistically significant difference in the amount of the parenchyma in the thymus of alcoholics (p less than 0.017) compared to that of the control group 0.68 +/- 0.09 g and 1.33 +/- 0.21 g, respectively and this figure was almost 4-fold less, than the average age norms, 0.26 +/- 0.03 g; the quantitative content of the splenic pulp in alcoholics also had a statistically significant difference compared to the control group (P less than 0.001), 6.37 +/- 0.66 g vs. 12.59 +/- 0.98 g, respectively. The data obtained indicate the development of immunodeficiency states in alcoholism and basing on the changes occurring in the thymus and spleen they can be referred to a combined T- and B-cell form of immunodeficiency.