Helper-Inducer and Suppressor-Inducer Lymphocyte Subsets in Alcoholic Cirrhosis

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, alcohol-induced fatty liver, and healthy controls were analyzed for helper-inducer (CD4+CD29w+) and suppressor-inducer (CD4+CD45R+) T lymphocytes. In confirmation of earlier reports, patients with alcoholic cirrhosis were found to have a significantly reduced absolute number of peripheral lymphocytes (p=0.03), an elevated relative percentage of CD3+ cells (median, 76% versus 68% p=0.0004) and CD4+ T cells (median, 56% versus 51% p=0.0011), and a reduced percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes (median, 11% versus 20% p=0.0007) as compared with the control group. No difference in lymphocyte subsets was observed between controls and patients with alcohol-induced fatty liver. Within the CD4+ T-cell population a change in the relative proportion of two complementary lymphocyte subsets (CD4+CD29w+ helper-inducer and CD4+CD45R+ suppressor-inducer T cells) was observed in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis: a higher percentage of CD4+CD29w+ helper-induc...