Mitogen responses and T4/T8 ratios in asymptomatic hemophiliac patients

Lymphocyte responses to mitogen stimulation were studied in healthy hemophiliac patients. To study kinetics and dose response, three different concentrations of the mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were used, and proliferation was measured on each of 6 days. Patients with T4/T8 ratios of less than 1.00 showed decreased proliferation compared to normal controls and to hemophiliac patients with ratios greater than 1.00. These findings were more pronounced with PWM than with PHA. Over the range of concentrations tested, patients and controls showed similar dose responses to PHA; no dose responses to PWM were demonstrable. There were no significant differences among the patient and control groups in kinetics of response to either mitogen. Interleukin-II (IL-2) activity produced in response to PHA stimulation also was studied. Hemophiliac patients with T4/T8 ratios less than 1.00 showed decreased IL-2 activity in 48-hour PHA culture supernatants compared to normal controls and hemophiliac patients with ratios greater than 1.00.