title: Suppressor T cell function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis complicated by vasculitis.
abstract: Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced suppressor T cell activity was determined in 10 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with vasculitis, 34 RA patients without vasculitis, and 10 healthy individuals. The percent Con A-induced suppression in RA patients with vasculitis was 24.6. In contrast, it was 68.4% in those RA patients without vascular lesions. Further, the proportion of T cells reactive with OKT8 monoclonal antibody was also decreased in RA patients with vasculitis. Accordingly, the reduced Con A-induced suppressor T cell activity in these RA patients resulted, in part, from the reduction in the number of cells of the suppressor T cell subset. Those patients with vascular lesions also had a higher percentage of positive antilymphocytotoxic antibodies than RA patients without vasculitis. Since the differences in Con A-induced suppressor T cell activity and frequency of positive antilymphocytotoxic antibodies were so great, we believe RA patients with vasculitis could be recognized as a disease group distinct from RA patients without vasculitis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000032:analysis; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D003208:Concanavalin A; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D003208:Concanavalin A; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor