1. Relationship between peripheral blood lymphocytes and their functional capacity in sarcoidosis
- Author
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Curla S. Walters, Hutchinson James, and Roscoe C. Young
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Pathology ,Rosette Formation ,Granuloma formation ,Sarcoidosis ,T-Lymphocytes ,Immunology ,Kveim Test ,Stimulation ,Lymphocyte Activation ,Pathology and Forensic Medicine ,Rosette (botany) ,Leukocyte Count ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Immunology and Allergy ,Phytohemagglutinins ,Incubation ,B-Lymphocytes ,Sheep ,business.industry ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Control subjects ,Peripheral blood ,Endocrinology ,Delayed hypersensitivity ,Female ,Radiography, Thoracic ,Mitogens ,business - Abstract
Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by granuloma formation in tissues and anergy to delayed hypersensitivity. In 34 sarcoidosis patients and 16 normal persons, T cells from peripheral blood were quantitated and their functional capacity assessed by sheep red blood cell (SRBC) rosette assay and mitogen response, respectively. Effect of Kveim-Siltzbach suspension (KSS) on rosette formation and its ability to induce blast formation were also examined. Normal spleen cell suspension (NSS) was used as control. The results show that 84% of patients had suppressed T-cell numbers, while 79% had suppression of both active (rosettes formed immediately on incubation with SRBC) and total (rosettes formed after a 1-hr incubation on ice) T cells. Mean active was 30% in sarcoidosis patients vs 44% in controls, while mean total was 48% in sarcoidosis patients vs 64% in controls, while mean total was 48% in sarcoidosis patients vs 64% in control subjects. Suppressed mitogen response to phytohemagglutinin was seen in only 34% of patients and of this number, 90% had decreased T-cell numbers (active and total), suggesting that T-cell suppression does not necessarily reflect functional abnormality in these cells; however, the reverse is true. KSS caused no blastogenesis or change in rosette formation when incubated with lymphocytes from sarcoid patients (KSS active 36%; total 48%: NSS active 34%; total 48%). Either the cells are insensitive to KSS stimulation or sensitive cells have migrated to sites of granuloma formation.
- Published
- 1980