title: Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with primary proliferative and secondary polycythaemia.
abstract: Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were measured in 18 patients with primary proliferative polycythaemia and 13 patients with secondary polycythaemia. A decrease in numbers of suppressor T lymphocytes and an increase in the helper:suppressor T lymphocyte ratio was found in those with primary polycythaemia compared with normal subjects and patients with secondary polycythaemia. If other causes of an increased helper:suppressor ratio are excluded this variable may be useful in confirming the myeloproliferative nature of patients with erythrocytosis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011086:Polycythemia / Q000097:blood*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory