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Immune status of Greek patients with beta-thalassemia major negative for anti-HIV
Patients with thalassemia who receive multiple blood transfusions are at risk for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in 22 multitransfused thalassemic patients; 10 patients were without splenectomy and 12 were studied after splenectomy. Both groups were negative for anti-HIV. Four additional patients who were found positive for anti-HIV and ten healthy controls were also included in this study. Patients without splenectomy compared to controls and to patients after splenectomy showed a significant decrease of both percentage (p less than 0.001) and absolute numbers (p less than 0.001) of Leu-7+ cells without significant abnormalities of T4/T8 ratio (1.56 +/- 0.4). Patients after splenectomy compared to controls and to patients without splenectomy showed a significant increase of the absolute numbers of lymphocytes and lymphocytes subsets T11+, T3+, T4+, T8+ and SmIg+ cells. In the seropositive patients for HIV only a significant increase of the absolute number of T8+ cells was observed while the T4/T8 ratio was 1.24 +/- 0.73. The decrease in the percentage of Leu-7+ cells in patients without splenectomy correlated inversely to the total amount of blood transfused. In conclusion patients with thalassemia had normal T4/T8 ratio and did not show the abnormal immunologic profile that has been reported in haemophiliacs.
Patients with thalassemia who receive multiple blood transfusions are at risk for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in 22 multitransfused thalassemic patients; 10 patients were without splenectomy and 12 were studied after splenectomy. Both groups were negative for anti-HIV. Four additional patients who were found positive for anti-HIV and ten healthy controls were also included in this study. Patients without splenectomy compared to controls and to patients after splenectomy showed a significant decrease of both percentage (p less than 0.001) and absolute numbers (p less than 0.001) of Leu-7+ cells without significant abnormalities of T4/T8 ratio (1.56 +/- 0.4). Patients after splenectomy compared to controls and to patients without splenectomy showed a significant increase of the absolute numbers of lymphocytes and lymphocytes subsets T11+, T3+, T4+, T8+ and SmIg+ cells. In the seropositive patients for HIV only a significant increase of the absolute number of T8+ cells was observed while the T4/T8 ratio was 1.24 +/- 0.73. The decrease in the percentage of Leu-7+ cells in patients without splenectomy correlated inversely to the total amount of blood transfused. In conclusion patients with thalassemia had normal T4/T8 ratio and did not show the abnormal immunologic profile that has been reported in haemophiliacs.