Analysis of phagocytic activity of peripheral blood and exudate leukocytes in patients with facial phlegmon

Abstract

Objective. To assess the phagocytic activity of peripheral blood and exudate leukocytes in patients with facial phlegmon. Currently, relatively little attention is paid to assessing the functional activity of peripheral blood and exudate leukocytes in facial phlegmon, the incidence of which is characterized by an increase in the number of cases and, especially, among patients with comorbid pathology. Materials and methods. To study the phagocytic activity of leukocytes using a method based on the assessment of the absorption of formalinized sheep erythrocytes by neutrophils and monocytes, the samples of peripheral blood and exudate were obtained from 18 patients diagnosed facial phlegmon. Blood leukocytes obtained from 29 healthy donors were used as a comparison group. Results. It was shown that for patients with phlegmon of the face, an increase in the phagocytic activity of peripheral blood leukocytes is characteristic. There was observed a redistribution of leukocytes according to the number of absorbed objects towards an increase in actively phagocytizing cells 4438 721 per 1 l (in the comparison group 297 67 per 1 l; p 0.05). However, after migration to the foci of the pathological process, leukocytes lost their phagocytic activity and the number of phagocytic cells decreased to 35.0 8.3 % (for peripheral blood leukocytes of the same patients 64.3 5.4 %; p 0.05). Changes in the phagocytic activity of exudate leukocytes affected both neutrophils and monocytes. Conclusions. Thus, in patients with phlegmon of the face, changes in the phagocytic activity of blood leukocytes are probably associated with the indirect influence of cytokines, and in the focus of inflammation, leukocytes come under pressure from microorganisms. In such a situation, it is necessary to select an effective immunotropic therapy.