NORMAL LEVELS OF SOLUBLE CD4 IN SERA FROM PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE CHRONIC ARTHRITIS

Sera from a group of patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) we re tested for soluble CD4 (sCD4). In most cases norma levels of the mo lecule were detected independent of disease activity. Similar results were obtained when sera from a population of adult rheumatoid arthriti s (RA)patients were analyzed Immunophenotypic studies of circulating m ononuclear cells from seven JCA patients with active disease showed th at T cells did not express activation markers. Finally, preliminary ex periments showed that sCD4 levels were high in the synovial fluids fro m 3 RA patients as compared with paired serum determinations.