[Analysis of lymphocyte immune abnormality in 52 cases of children idiopathic aplastic anemia]

This study was aimed to investigate the characteristics of lymphocyte immune abnormality in children idiopathic aplastic anemia (IAA) in order to explore the immune pathogenesis of childhood IAA. The phenotypes of lymphocytes, the ratios of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2, the levels of CD25(+) and CD4(+)CD25(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of IAA patients were measured at the onset of disease by flow cytometry and were compared with that in normal controls. The influences of those immunological indicators on prognosis of IAA were also analyzed. The results showed that there were 40 cases of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and 12 cases of mild aplastic anemia (MAA). The levels of CD3(+) CD8(+) T cells in SAA group and MAA group were significantly higher than those in controls (p < 0.05). The levels of CD3(+) and CD3(+) CD4(+) T cells in MAA group were lower than that in SAA group (p < 0.05), but there were no difference was compared with control group. No differences of the levels of CD3(-)CD19(+) T cells were between the both SAA and MAA groups and the control group. The levels of CD3(-)CD56(+) T cells in SAA group and MAA groups were lower significantly than that in control group. As compared to control group, the levels of Th1 and Tc1 in SAA group and MAA groups increased significantly (p < 0.05), and the ratios of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 in SAA group and MAA groups increased significantly (p < 0.05). The level of Th2 increased in SAA group. As compared to MAA group, the levels of Th1 and Tc1 and the ratios of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 in SAA group increased significantly (p < 0.05). The levels of CD25(+) T lymphocyte in SAA group and MAA group increased significantly (p < 0.05), and were higher than that in normal controls, but levels of CD4(+)CD25(+) T lymphocyte and ratio of CD4(+)CD25(+)/CD4(+) in SAA group and MAA group had no significant difference. It is concluded that the abnormal lymphocyte immune function exist in the onset of childhood IAA. The polarization of Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 shifts to Th1 and Tc1 cells. These changes closely relate to severity of the disease. There is high level of CD25(+) T lymphocyte in children IAA. These changes reveal that abnormality of immune function plays an important role at the onset of childhood idiopathic aplastic anemia.