The Effect of Low Doses of Prednisolone on T-Cell Subsets in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The effect of low doses of prednisolone on T-cell subpopulations in rheumatoid arthritis patients with different disease activity was investigated. Prednisolone intake caused a drop in the absolute numbers of circulating T-cell subpopulations. OKT4+ (helper-inducer) cells are more susceptible to this. Higher doses are needed to suppress OKT8+ (suppressor-cytotoxic) cell numbers.