Delayed Hypersensitivity Skin Testing. II. Clinical Correlates and Anergy

Abstract

The responses of 752 hospitalized patients to skin tests with six common antigens were evaluated by clinical status. On the average each patient had 1.5 clinical conditions and reacted to 2.5 antigens. Known positive and negative associations, such as that between tuberculin and pulmonary disease, and that between non-reactivity or anergy and age, immunosuppressive medications, malignancy, and azotemia, were confirmed. Novel associations with anergy were also found with leukocytosis, anemia, and fever; although strongly interrelated, each also related independently to anergy. Relative anergy, or a response to only one of six antigens, was found in the same clinical setting as absolute anergy. All but two of 57 patients with absolute anergy had one or more of these previously or newly defined clinical conditions present. The detection of major new categories of illness leading to anergy seems unlikely.