CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE - CHANGES OF BLOOD LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS INDUCEDBY PHYSICAL EXERCISE

To examine the changes in the absolute numbers of blood lymphocyte sub sets in patients with coronary artery disease, we studied 26 patients with documented coronary artery disease (group I) and 15 other subject s (group II) with atypical complaints and negative exercise test who s erved as controls. Blood lymphocyte subsets were determined at rest, i mmediately and 24 h after a bicycle exercise test. In both groups the absolute number of leukocytes/mm(3) and lymphocytes/mm(3) was signific antly greater immediately after exercise than at rest and returned to baseline values by 24 h post-exercise. The absolute number of B-lympho cytes and CD8(+) T-lymphocytes did not change significantly in both gr oups, while CD3(+) and CD4(+) T-lymphocytes as well as CD25(+) activat ed T-lymphocytes declined insignificantly immediately after exercise b ut increased significantly 24 h after exercise in both groups, with a higher increase (P<0.01) in all three variables under study (CD3(+), C D4(+) and CD25(+) T-lymphocytes) in group I in comparison to group II (P<0.05). Our findings showed that changes in lymphocyte subsets induc ed by physical exercise differ between patients with and without docum ented coronary artery disease, suggesting that an alteration in immune function may account for these differences. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.