Helper-inducer and suppressor-inducer lymphocyte subsets in alcoholic cirrhosis

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, alcohol-induced fatty liver, and healthy controls were analyzed for helper-inducer (CD4+CD29w+) and suppressor-inducer (CD4+CD45R+) T lymphocytes. In confirmation of earlier reports, patients with alcoholic cirrhosis were found to have a significantly reduced absolute number of peripheral lymphocytes (p = 0.03), an elevated relative percentage of CD3+ cells (median, 76% versus 68%; p = 0.0004) and CD4+ T cells (median, 56% versus 51%; p = 0.0011), and a reduced percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes (median, 11% versus 20%; p = 0.0007) as compared with the control group. No difference in lymphocyte subsets was observed between controls and patients with alcohol-induced fatty liver. Within the CD4+ T-cell population a change in the relative proportion of two complementary lymphocyte subsets (CD4+CD29+ helper-inducer and CD4+CD45R+ suppressor-inducer T cells) was observed in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis: a higher percentage of CD4+CD29w+ helper-inducer T cells were circulating in their peripheral blood than in healthy controls (median, 33% versus 28%; p = 0.0036), whereas the CD4+CD45R+ suppressor-inducer T-cell subset did not differ (median, 21% versus 21%) between the two groups. Owing to the reduction of lymphocyte counts in cirrhotic patients the absolute number of CD4+CD29w+ cells was not different from that of control individuals; however, CD4+CD45R+ T cells in peripheral blood (p = 0.0063) were absolutely reduced. More CD4+ cells were simultaneously CD29w+ in cirrhotic patients (61%) than in controls (52%), whereas a lower percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes was also CD45R+ in these patients (33%) as compared with controls (40%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)