[The 'unspecific' immune state in skin diseases with special reference to microphage functions]

Polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL) or microphages resp. are essentially involved, on account of their ubiquity within the entire organism as well as their phagocytic and intracellular killing properties, in the complex organization of the antimicrobial and antitumoral protective capacity of man. Positive chemotaxis triggers the migration of PMNL to the specific danger area and thus initiates an immune reaction. An either inborn or acquired defect or functional weakness of PMNL may entail a state of persisting viral, fungal and/or bacterial infections. Impairment of various PMNL functions may result from different metabolic disorders, internal malignancies, and/or immunosuppressive therapy. Disturbances of various PMNL functions can be especially analysed in vitro. After delineation of different techniques available to check the immunological defense system of the human organism, we report on our results of PMNL function analysis in patients suffering from chronically recurrent pyoderma (n = 22), oral precancer and cancer (n = 13), chronic mucocutaneous candidosis (n = 10), recurrent aphthous ulcers (n = 33), as well as Behcet's disease (n = 20).