Abnormal Helper‐Inducer/Suppressor–Inducer T‐Cell Subset Distribution and T‐Cell Activation Status are Common to All Types of Chronic Synovitis

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Abstract
We have previously shown that rheumatoid synovial T cells are virtually all helper-inducer (CD4+4B4+UCHL1+) rather than suppressor-inducer (CD4+2H4+) cells. CD8 cells were also largely 4B4+. In addition, the majority of T cells were HLA-DR+. To investigate whether these findings were specific for rheumatoid disease, we studied the prevalence of these markers in a variety of chronic inflammatory arthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter''s syndrome, and psoriatic arthritis. Again, almost 90% of the T cells were 4B4+UCHL1+ and only 11% were 2H4+; 50% expressed the HLA DR antigen. Thus this phenotypic distribution represents a final common pathway of chronic synovitis and may help to explain the immunopathology of the lesion.