Introduction. Earlier studies have reported that heroin might cause the structural and antigen changes on numerous tissues, organs and subsequent development of autoimmune reactions (production of antibodies and creation of immune complexes) as a result the immunotoxic effect of heroin. The aims of our study were to: a) Evaluate CIC and antiβ2GP1 in heroin addicts; b) Correlate between the values of the obtained CIC and antiβ2GP1 (stratified by the duration and route of heroin application); c) Compare the CIC and antiβ2GP1 in heroin addicts and the control group and d) Assess the clinical importance of CIC and antiβ2GP1 in heroin addicts. Patients and methods. This was a cross-sectional study performed at the University Clinic of Toxicology and the Institute of Transfusiology, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. Patients referred to the Clinic for clinical examinations who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Protocol for work was the following: 1.) detailed anamnestic data, 2.) a whole set of laboratory biochemical blood and urine analyses, 3.) examination with the Schiller’s twelve-channel ECG; 4.) toxicological analyses for opioids in a urine sample; circulating immune complexes and 5.) antiphospholipid antibodies (antiβ2GP1, fractions: IgA, IgG, IgM). The obtained results were statistically analyzed. Results. We included 37 heroin addicts and a control group of 27 healthy subjects. Male abusers predominated over female in - 28 (76%) subjects; mean age being 26 ±5.06. The results which refer to the increased values of circulating immune complexes have shown a high statistically significant dominance of heroin addicts, in comparison with the control group (p
Key words: heroin addicts, circulating immune complexes, antiphospholipid antibodies (antiβ2GP1)
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