title: The T-helper 1/T-helper 2 balance in peripheral blood of women with hyperemesis gravidarum.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the T-helper 1/T-helper 2 balance and its relation with pregnancy-related hormones in hyperemesis gravidarum.
  
  
  METHODS
  The T-helper 1/T-helper 2 ratio and plasma progesterone and estrogen levels were examined in the peripheral blood of 22 women with hyperemesis gravidarum and normal pregnancies. The proportion of CD4-positive cells that expressed intracellular cytokines (interferon gamma and interleukin-4) were analyzed by blood flow cytometry. The ratio of interferon gamma-secreting cells to interleukin-4-secreting cells was taken as the T-helper 1/T-helper 2 ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In hyperemesis gravidarum, the proportions of interleukin-4-secreting cells increased, and the T-helper 1/T-helper 2 ratio averaged 8.4 +/- 0.9, which was significantly lower than in normal pregnancy (11.6 +/- 1.1, P <.05). The changes in the T-helper 1/T-helper 2 ratio in hyperemesis gravidarum were accompanied by the elevation of progesterone and estrogen levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A further shift of the T-helper 1/T-helper 2 balance to the T-helper 2 dominance in hyperemesis gravidarum may be related to the increase of progesterone and estrogen levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nippon Medical School, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. yoshi-1@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Rintaro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsubo
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Araki
mesh_terms: D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D006939:Hyperemesis Gravidarum / Q000097:blood*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007371:Interferon-gamma