title: Circulating CD4+CD8+ cells in myasthenia gravis: supplementary immunological parameter for long-term prognosis.
abstract: Twenty patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) were studied prospectively for up to 5 years after thymectomy, in order to clarify the relationships between disease severity, anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (anti-AChR) titres, proportions of circulating CD4+CD8+ cells (CD4+CD8+ cell level) and major lymphocyte subsets. The CD4+CD8+ cell levels were closely related to the clinical change within 1 year after surgery in 8 patients who showed a preoperative elevation in the cell levels. This group of patients consisted of six thymomatous and two non-thymomatous patients; the latter were both negative for anti-AChR. The anti-AChR titres generally changed in parallel with the clinical state in 9 of the 16 patients who were followed up for more than a year after thymectomy, and the CD4+CD8+ cell levels were useful in predicting the clinical course in 6 of the above 9 patients and 3 other patients, including antibody-negative cases. The present study suggests that the CD4+CD8+ cell levels may serve as an indicator for long-term prognosis of MG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuyama
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akiguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kameyama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D013934:Thymectomy; D013945:Thymoma / Q000601:surgery; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic