title: Changes in lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood of splenectomized patients.
abstract: Twenty-five patients who had undergone splenectomy were investigated. Splenectomy was performed in 16 patients because of traumatic rupture of the spleen, in 6 due to idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and in 3 because of other causes. The absolute numbers of T-cell subclasses--helper/inducer (CD4+) and suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8+)--and of B-cells were determined in peripheral blood. The CD4+/CD8+ was decreased in 7 patients and inverted in 10. The change in the ratio was not due to a decreased number of CD4+ cells but to an increase of CD8+ cells. Sex, age, and the time at which splenectomy was performed bore no relation to the CD4+/CD8+ ratio. In 13 of the 25 patients a significant increase in the number of polyclonal B-cells was found. None of the patients had severe infections. These observations suggest that splenectomy is responsible for the change in the CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Susceptibility to infections seems to correlate with the absolute decrease of CD4+ cells rather than with the change of the ratio.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine B, Meir General Hospital, Kfar Saba, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brodsky
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manor
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Druker
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klajman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013156:Splenectomy; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory