T lymphocyte subsets in primary antiphospholipid syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To study T, natural killer (NK) and B blood cell subsets in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).


METHODS
We studied 10 patients with primary APS and 12 healthy subjects. Blood lymphocytes counts, proportions of B cells (CD19+), total CD5 and CD5 B cells, NK cells (CD16+CD56+), T cells (CD3+), CD4+ helper (naive CD4+CD45RA+, memory CD4+CD45RO+ and CD4+CD29+, activated CD4+CD25+), CD8 (immunoregulatory CD8+CD57+, activated CD8+HLA-DR+) T cell subsets were measured by flow cytometry analysis.


RESULTS
In the primary APS group, we observed a lower total lymphocyte count (p = 0.009), an expansion of naive CD4 cells (p = 0.025), a lower proportion of memory CD4 cells (p = 0.04) and an increased ratio of naive/memory CD4 cells (p = 0.015).


CONCLUSIONS
Blood T cells phenotypes in primary APS differ markedly from healthy controls, indicating that immunologic abnormalities in primary APS might extend beyond autoantibody production.
Papo
T
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Piette
J C
JC
Legac
E
E
Frances
C
C
Grenot
P
P
Debre
P
P
Godeau
P
P
Autran
B
B
D000328:Adult; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets