[Hormonal contraceptive therapy and thromboembolic disease]

A group of 55 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 25 healthy persons is studied. In peripheral blood, the number of E rosettes is similar in both groups but in patients with RA who are not on steroid therapy, these is a decreased number of the absolute value of T lymphocytes. There is a positive correlation between quantitative cellular immunity and different biologic and clinical parameters.