Cellular immune alterations in fifty-two patients with oral lichen planus.
OBJECTIVE
Abnormal immune mechanisms appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of lichen planus (LP).


METHODS
A prospective clinical study was made to investigate the differences in T cell subpopulations in 52 patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and 54 healthy controls.


RESULTS
Statistically significant differences were observed among the OLP patients versus the controls: the percentages of CD3+, CD8+, DR+, CD57+ and CD8CD45RA+ cells were depressed, while elevations were recorded in the subpopulations expressing CD4+, and in the ratios CD4/CD8+ and CD8CD45RO+/CD8CD45RA+.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest the existence of differences in the lymphocyte subpopulations between healthy subjects and patients with OLP. These findings do not coincide with the previously published observations, however; the observed cellular immune alterations thus appear to relate more to lymphocyte reaction capacity than to the actual number of cells in each population subgroup.
Gándara Rey
J
J
Departamento de Medicina Oral y Maxilofacial, Facultad de Medicina y Odontología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, España. cigandar@uscmail.usc.es
García García
A
A
Blanco Carrión
A
A
Gándara Vila
P
P
Rodríguez Nuñez
I
I
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000502:physiology
D015703:Antigens, CD; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte