title: Immune status of Greek patients with beta-thalassemia major negative for anti-HIV.
abstract: Patients with thalassemia who receive multiple blood transfusions are at risk for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in 22 multitransfused thalassemic patients; 10 patients were without splenectomy and 12 were studied after splenectomy. Both groups were negative for anti-HIV. Four additional patients who were found positive for anti-HIV and ten healthy controls were also included in this study. Patients without splenectomy compared to controls and to patients after splenectomy showed a significant decrease of both percentage (p less than 0.001) and absolute numbers (p less than 0.001) of Leu-7+ cells without significant abnormalities of T4/T8 ratio (1.56 +/- 0.4). Patients after splenectomy compared to controls and to patients without splenectomy showed a significant increase of the absolute numbers of lymphocytes and lymphocytes subsets T11+, T3+, T4+, T8+ and SmIg+ cells. In the seropositive patients for HIV only a significant increase of the absolute number of T8+ cells was observed while the T4/T8 ratio was 1.24 +/- 0.73. The decrease in the percentage of Leu-7+ cells in patients without splenectomy correlated inversely to the total amount of blood transfused. In conclusion patients with thalassemia had normal T4/T8 ratio and did not show the abnormal immunologic profile that has been reported in haemophiliacs.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G