Levels of CD5+ B lymphocytes do not differ between patients with myasthenia gravis and healthy individuals

CD5+ B cells might be involved in autoimmunity mainly as autoantibody-producing cells. To investigate the possible role of these cells in myasthenia gravis, we studied the numbers of CD5+ B cells, CD5- B cells, and CD19+ B cells as well as CD5+ T cells in the peripheral blood from 31 patients with myasthenia gravis and 31 healthy individuals. Both absolute percentages (percent of peripheral blood mononuclear cells) and relative percentages (percent of total CD19+ B cells) of CD5+ B cells were the same in patients as in controls. The numbers of CD5- B cells and CD19+ B cells were the same in both groups, whereas CD5+ T cells were lower in the patients. There was no correlation between clinical stage, sex, thymectomy, or pathology of thymus and the levels of CD5+ B cells, CD5- B cells, or CD19+ B cells. Patients treated with azathioprine had lower levels of CD5+ B cells than untreated patients and controls. Our results show that patients with myasthenia gravis have the same levels of CD5+ B cells as healthy individuals.