title: Surface markers of lymphocyte activation in pregnant asthmatics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pregnancy-associated immunologic alterations may improve the course of asthma. Severe maternal asthma with an exacerbation impairs fetal growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lymphocyte activation was estimated by flow cytometry analysis of surface markers in non-pregnant healthy and mild or moderate persistent asthmatic women and healthy as well as mild or moderate persistent asthmatic, third trimester pregnant women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with non-pregnant healthy subjects (n = 12) activated pools within CD4 and CD8 T cells were larger and the number of NK T cells were increased both in non-pregnant asthmatic (n = 12) and in healthy pregnant (n = 13) subjects (all p\0.05). No further lymphocyte activation was observed in pregnant asthmatics (n = 21) compared either with non-pregnant asthmatic, or pregnant healthy women. Average birth weight of newborns was lower (p\0.05) in the asthmatic than in the healthy pregnant group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnancy is a state of wide-spread lymphocyte activation but it may blunt lymphocyte activation which characterizes bronchial asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. szatmari-bohacs@freemail.hu
authors.forename: Anikó
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bohács
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pállinger
authors.forename: Lilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tamási
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rigó
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Komlósi
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magyar
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falus
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Losonczy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface