Imbalance in T gamma and T mu lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with sarcoidosis.
The percentage and the absolute numbers of T lymphocytes Fc receptors for IgG and IgM (T gamma and T mu lymphocytes, respectively) were evaluated in fourteen patients with active sarcoidosis and in a group of controls. A marked increase in the percentage of T gamma cells and a net decrease of T mu cells were found. Although sarcoidosis patients present a T lymphopenia, the absolute number of T gamma lymphocytes was still increased whereas the T mu decrease was even more pronounced. The possible causes of this imbalance in view of the recent interpretations of T suppressor and T helper lymphocytes are discussed.
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D011961:Receptors, Fc; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*
D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011961:Receptors, Fc