T-CELL SUBSETS IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS - A SERIAL STUDY

The relevance of abnormalities in the distribution of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets to the clinical manifestations of multiple scler osis is not firmly established. A clinical and immunological follow-up of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients was performed in o rder to study the relationship of immune changes with the clinical cou rse of the disease. Twenty patients were monitored monthly during a me an time of nine months for peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets (CD3, C D4, CD8, CD19), including the immunoregulatory subsets CD4CD29 (helper -inducer), and CD4CD45RA (suppressor-inducer) and activated T helper c ells (CD4CD25) by flow cytometry. A total of 14 untreated relapses was included. The most significant observations were a decrease in T supp ressor-inducer CD4(+)CD45RA(+) subset during clinical relapses (P = 0. 028) that was also detectable one month before (P = 0.020) and the lac k of changes in CD4(+)CD29(+) and CD8(+) T cells. In addition, variati ons in the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) activated T helper cells were n ot associated with clinical exacerbations. These results indicate the existence of a temporal association of immune changes in peripheral bl ood, but not activation, with the clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis.