[Preliminary observation on lymphocyte function with radioisotope incorporation in asthmatic patients]

Twenty-five asthmatic patients and 54 normal subjects were included in this study. The results of our study showed that among the asthmatic group, no obvious decrease was observed in the uptake of 3H-TdR by T-lymphocyte stimulated with PHA, whereas there was markedly depressed uptake of 14C-UR by T-lymphocyte. The latter finding demonstrated that the asthmatic patients had a decrease of RNA synthesis during the course of T-lymphocyte transformation. The mean 3H-TdR uptake by T-lymphocyte was less in the patients whose first attack of asthma occurred after 30 years of age, when compared to those before 30 years of age, but statistically not significant. There was a slightly lower uptake of 3H-TdR by T-lymphocyte in the mild attack group than that in the remission group. B-lymphocyte transformation ability reflected in the uptake of 3H-tyrosine by B-lymphocyte stimulate with LPS was apparently increased in the asthmatic group, as compared to normal subjects. This study supports the hypothesis that the abnormal function of cell-mediated immunity may play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma.