Natural Killer Cell Activity From Hemophiliacs Exhibits Differential

Patients with hemophilia are at risk for the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Patients with AIDS have recurrent infections and/or malignancy and altered immune response, including decreased T lymphocyte counts, decreased T helper lymphocytes, defective T cell blastogenesis, hypergammaglobulinemia, defective natural killer (NK) activity and impaired response of NK to interferon-fl (IFN-/9). It is feasible that chronic antigen stimulation with subsequent release of interferon could be related to the impaired NK reactivity to IFN-fl of patients with AIDS. Because hemophiliacs are subjected to chronic antigen stimulation secondary to the administration of foreign protein, the reactivity of NK cells from patients with hemophilia to IFN-a, IFNand IFN-’y was studied. Eight patients with hemophilia requiring high levels of clotting factor replacement were assessed. Three patients