[Role of interleukin-1 and interleukin-2 in the pathogenesis of systemic scleroderma].

The purpose of a research was to define the levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in patients with systemic scleroderma (SSc) and to analyse their dependence on the course of the illness. 75 patients with SSc and 20 apparently healthy people were examined. Besides the well-known clinical-biochemical and instrumental investigations, the levels of IL-1 and Il-2 in all the patients were determined in serum with an immunoenzymatic method using a set of reactants Pro Con IL-1b and Pro Con IL-2 (Russia). The data obtained give evidence for an increase in both IL-1 and IL-2 levels. As the correlation between the level of IL-1 and the acuteness of the pathological process has been shown to be especially distinct, it can be used for marking an acute form of this pathology. Thus, both parametres (IL-1, IL-2) depend on the acuity and peculiarities of SSc, and on the concomitant damage of the internal organs. The most pronounced increase in LL-2 level has been observed at visceralisation of SSc.