The T-helper 1/T-helper 2 balance in peripheral blood of women with hyperemesis gravidarum.
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.
Yoneyama
Yoshio
Y
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nippon Medical School, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. yoshi-1@nms.ac.jp
Suzuki
Shunji
S
Sawa
Rintaro
R
Yoneyama
Koichi
K
Doi
Daisuke
D
Otsubo
Yasuo
Y
Araki
Tsutomu
T
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
D015847:Interleukin-4; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007371:Interferon-gamma