DECREASED LEVEL OF SUPPRESSOR CYTO-TOXIC T-CELLS (OKT8+) IN POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA AND TEMPORAL ARTERITIS - RELATION TO DISEASE-ACTIVITY

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 12  (2) , 306-309
Abstract
Separated peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by fluorescent microscopy with monoclonal antisera for T cells (OKT3+), helper/inducer T cells (OKT4+) and suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (OKT8+). Thirty-seven patients with polymyalgia rheumatics (PMR), 13 of whom had positive biopsies for arteritis, were studied and compared with 25 age and sex matched normal subjects. The percentages of OKT3+ and OKT4+ T cells were similar in the PMR group and controls, but percentage of OKT8+ T cells was significantly reduced in patients (14.8 .+-. 6.8) compared with controls (22.1 .+-. 6.3). Values of OKT8+ T cells were extremely low in untreated patients with active, acute disease (7.8 .+-. 4.4%) and significantly lower than in prednisone treated patients with inactive disease (17.3 .+-. 5.9). These findings indicate that low values of circulating OKT8+ T cells is a feature of PMR and is related to disease activity.