title: Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in polymyalgia rheumatica.
abstract: Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 23 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) were characterized using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry in a two-year prospective study. There were no significant differences in absolute numbers or relative percentages of lymphocytes or CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells or the CD4+ T cell functional subsets, virgin (CD4+CD45RA+) and memory (CD4+CD29+) T cells, in patients before or during corticosteroid treatment compared to controls. Previous reports on decreased levels of CD8+ T cells as a characteristic of PMR/giant cell arteritis was not confirmed. The absolute number and relative percentage of lymphocytes with natural killer cell activity, CD16+ CD56+ cells, were significantly lower in patients with active untreated PMR as well as during corticosteroid treatment compared to controls, but at the two-year follow-up the difference was less marked.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Umeå University Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uddhammar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Näsman
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dahlqvist
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D011239:Prednisolone