Alterations in immunologic measurements in patients experiencing early hepatic allograft rejection

We compared lymphocyte subsets, the T4:T8 ratio, and assays of lymphocyte function in 11 recipients of hepatic allografts who showed signs of early graft rejection (less than 3 weeks after transplant) with 13 patients who had no evidence of graft rejection. Both patient groups had similar values for lymphocyte subsets, lymphocyte transformation in the presence of phytohemagglutinin, and in vitro immunoglobulin synthesis prior to allografting. Nonrejectors had a decline in both T3 and T4 cells one week after transplant. Those who had evidence of graft rejection did not show a significant decline in either of these T cell subsets. The T4:T8 ratio declined in 11/13 nonrejectors in the week after transplant but in only 4/11 rejectors (P less than 0.05). Monitoring immunologic markers in blood may represent a means of determining which subjects are at greatest risk for developing early hepatic allograft rejection.