[Pulmonary involvement in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy].
Patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) show subclinical pulmonary involvement. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) studies of HAM patients have shown that there is T-lymphocytosis in association with increased soluble IL-2 receptor levels in BAL fluid. Furthermore, BAL lymphocytes as well as peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from HAM patients proliferated spontaneously when cultured in vitro. The lymphocytes proliferating were T-lymphocytes (both CD4+ cells and CD8+ cells) and released soluble IL-2 receptors in supernatant fluid. These results indicated that T-lymphocytes were activated in HAM patients. In conclusion, activated T-lymphocytes may play an important role in the development of the spinal cord and pulmonary lesions in HAM patients.
Sugimoto
M
M
First Department of Internal Medicine, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
Araki
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology