T-lymphocyte subpopulations in insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus

Initial reports of blood T cell subsets in insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus (IDDM) are conflicting and, consequently, difficult to relate to animal models of the disease. To minimize technical artefacts, which may have contributed to previous results, we used direct immunofluorescence on whole blood and counted 3,000 lymphocytes by flow cytometer. Forty-two IDDM patients divided in three groups of 14 according to the disease duration and 12 age and sex matched controls were studied for T3, T4, T8 and HLA-DR expression. No statistically significant differences were found in their total blood lymphocyte counts or in the percentage of T3, T4 and T8 positive cells, although mild lymphopenia was found in the group of long-standing diabetics. The percentage of activated T cells, identified as T3+/DR+ cells, was significantly increased in the groups of patients studied more than a month after diagnosis and in four of 14 patients studied within a month from diagnosis. Seven new onset IDDM patients were studied for co-expression of T8 and Leu 15 antigens (putative suppressor cell phenotype), but no significant differences was found compared with controls. We conclude that T4/T8 ratio abnormalities previously reported in Ficoll separated cells are not reproduced when unseparated cells are analysed by flow cytometry, although the presence of HLA-DR+ T cells is confirmed.