Spontaneous improvement of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after T lymphocytosis with suppressor phenotype and function.

Abstract

Spontaneous improvement of active juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) occurred after T lymphocytosis in an 8-year-old boy. He had prominent lymphocytosis, the count reaching 59,000/mm3, followed by spontaneous disappearance of fever, arthralgia, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, and C-reactive protein. The serum immunoglobulin levels were gradually decreased. The surface marker analysis, using two color flow cytometry, showed that the lymphocytes were activated suppressor T lymphocytes, expressing CD3, CD8, HLA-DR, and CD8 plus CD11. When studied in vitro with pokeweed mitogen stimulation, the T lymphocytes significantly suppressed the immunoglobulin production by autologous B lymphocytes as compared with the T lymphocytes at remission (p less than 0.01). Based on the widely believed notion that depression of suppressor T lymphocyte functions is one of the important mechanisms underlying systemic JRA, the activated T lymphocytosis with the suppressor phenotype and suppressive function on the immunoglobulin production may have been related to the improvement of active JRA in the patient.

• Authors: M Ichikawa, M Yanagisawa, H Kawai, T Kamijo, A Komiyama, T Akabane
• Journal: Journal of clinical & laboratory immunology (J Clin Lab Immunol) Vol. 27 Issue 4 Pg. 197-201 (Dec 1988) ISSN: 0141-2760 [Print] Scotland
• PMID: 2977987 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte
• Immunoglobulins

Topics

• Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte
• Arthritis, Juvenile (complications, immunology)
• B-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Child
• Humans
• Immunoglobulins (biosynthesis)
• In Vitro Techniques
• Lymphocytosis (complications, immunology)
• Male
• Phenotype
• Remission, Spontaneous
• T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory (immunology)