[Peripheral T-lymphocyte subsets changes in patients with endocrine and metabolic diseases]

In this study the authors utilized the OKT monoclonal anti-human T lymphocyte antibodies to determine the normal level of T lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of 30 healthy volunteers, 36 patients with Graves' disease (GD), 4 with hypothyroidism and 30 with diabetes mellitus (DM). It is shown that OKT+3, OKT+4 OKT+8 and OKT+4/OKT+8 ratio of T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of 30 healthy volunteers were 72.4 +/- 5.1%, 38.9 +/- 5.2%, 26.8 +/- 4.3% and 1.5 +/- 0.3. In 36 patients with GD OKT+3 was 67.6 +/- 5.8%, OKT+4 was 33.8 +/- 6.6% and OKT+8 was 17.9 +/- 6.1%. These were all significantly lower than those of normal controls (P less than 0.001). OKT+4/OKT+8 ratio was 2.1 +/- 0.6, which was significantly higher (P less than 0.001). The value of OKT+4 and OKT+8 in 10 patients with GD after treatment were markedly elevated. However, the ratio of OKT+4/OKT+8 was significantly decreased (P less than 0.05). OKT+3 of 4 cases of hypothyroidism was 69.7 +/- 3.35%, being similar to that of normal controls (P greater than 0.2). OKT+4 and OKT+8 were 31.73 +/- 4.99% and 18 +/- 2.94% respectively, both of which being markedly decreased (P less than 0.01). The ratio of OKT+4/OKT+8 was 1.97 +/- 0.22, being not significantly elevated (P greater than 0.05). OKT+3, OKT+4 and OKT+8 of 23 cases with DM were 68.8 +/- 7.2% (P less than 0.05), 33 +/- 8.1% (P less than 0.005), and 21.2 +/- 6.5% (P less than 0.001) respectively. All of these were significantly decreased. The ratio of OKT+4/OKT+8 was 1.6 +/- 0.5, being not significantly changed.