Lymphocyte sub-populations in patients with allergic and non-allergic asthma.
The subpopulations of peripheral blood lymphocytes were identified using monoclonal antibodies specific for T lymphocytes (T11 antibodies), B lymphocytes (B1 antibodies), helper/inducer T cells (T4 antibodies) and suppressor/cytotoxic cells (T8 antibodies). Ninety-six subjects, including twenty-five patients with allergic asthma, nineteen patients with non-allergic asthma and fifty-two controls without asthma, were studied. There was no significant difference in the lymphocyte subsets between the allergic and non-allergic asthmatics. When comparing patients with asthma as a group with the controls, a decrease in the number of T8-positive suppressor cells and therefore, an increase in the helper/suppressor cell ratio were demonstrated in the asthmatics. A relative deficiency of suppressor T cells may represent another immunological marker of bronchial asthma.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007073:Immunoglobulin E