PULMONARY-FUNCTION, ACTIVATED T-CELLS, PERIPHERAL-BLOOD EOSINOPHILIA, AND SERUM ACTIVITY FOR EOSINOPHIL SURVIVAL IN-VITRO - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY IN BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA

[摘要] A close correlation among the number of activated, peripheral blood T helper cells, eosinophilia, and airflow obstruction has been reported in patients with asthma. To test these cross-sectional data we performed a prospective, longitudinal study investigating the relationships among T-cell activation in peripheral blood, eosinophilia, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) and serum activity toward eosinophil survival in 20 individuals with asthma over a period of 21 days after admission to a clinic located 1560 m above sea level. During the study, maintenance treatment with inhaled beta(2)-agonists and theophylline was unchanged. Five patients had also been faking inhaled corticosteroids, and this was also not changed during the study period According to the changes in pulmonary function observed at the end of the study patients were divided into three groups: twelve patients whose pulmonary function improved by more than 10% from baseline (group I), four patients whose pulmonary function deteriorated by more than 10% from baseline necessitating therapeutic intervention (group II), and four patients with no change in FEV(1) (<10% from baseline) (group III). Activation of T cells as determined by interleukin-2 receptor expression, number of eosinophils, and serum activity toward eosinophil survival in vitro declined in group I; whereas FEV(1) increased. The decrease in FEV(1) in group II was associated with an increase in interleukin-2 receptor-positive T cells, number of eosinophils, and serum activity. In group III FEV(1) interleukin-2 receptor expression on T cells, the number of peripheral blood eosinophils, and the measured serum activity for eosinophil survival in vitro did not change significantly from baseline. With the exception of FEV(1) and eosinophil numbers, which came close to reaching statistically significant correlations with the measured serum activity for eosinophils, the percent changes from baseline to the end of the study of all other parameters were closely correlated with correlation coefficients between 0.76 and 0.54. We conclude that a close correlation does exist between changes in T-cell activation, numbers of eosinophils, serum activity toward eosinophil survival in vitro, and the degree of airflow obstruction in patients with asthma, observed longitudinally, suggesting that these parameters are interrelated.

[发布日期] 1994-08-01

[关键词] ASTHMA;T-CELL ACTIVATION EOSINOPHILS;FEV(1);LONGITUDINAL CORRELATION