title: T cell subsets in multiple sclerosis. A longitudinal study of exacerbating-remitting cases.
abstract: Twenty-four untreated MS patients with exacerbating-remitting disease were longitudinally studied for T-cell subset distribution within peripheral blood, using monoclonal antibodies OKT3, OKT4 and OKT8. A decreased percentage of OKT8 reactive cells, with a correlative increase of the OKT4/OKT8 ratio, was detected in relapsing MS patients, in most cases within 2 weeks before and 1 week after the onset of relapse. Longitudinal analysis of individual fluctuations allowed to detect during relapse an increase of OKT4/OKT8 ratio over the value recorded during remission in 78% of MS patients. Only 50% of patients however exhibited an OKT4/OKT8 ratio exceeding the 5% confidence upper limit of healthy control values. Relapse was more often associated with T-cell subset abnormalities in patients who suffered several attacks during the period of study. MS patients in remission, when considered as a group did not show significant abnormalities of the T-cell subset balance, although some individuals did present with wider T-cell subset fluctuations than healthy controls.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal