Double phenotyping of immunoregulatory T cell subsets in patients with allergic asthma

Summary In order to determine whether the dissection of helper/inducer (CD4 +) and suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8 +) lymphocyte subsets with Leu 8 reagent would reveal any differences between allergic asthma patients and non‐atopic controls, we compared in both groups the ‘true helper’ T cell subset (Leu 8 ‐ CD4 +), responsible for the major helper effect, and one of the suppressor T cell subpopulations (Leu 8 ‐ CD8 +). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from sixty‐nine individuals, including nineteen extrinsic asthmatics, fifteen intrinsic asthmatics, seventeen patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and eighteen healthy controls, were comparatively analysed. Although total CD4 + cells and total CD8 + cells were similar for all groups, we found in the extrinsic asthma patients group a significant increase in the number of ‘true helper’ T cell sublineage (Leu 8 ‐ CD4 +) and of suppressor cells expressing Leu 8 ‐ CD8 + phenotype. Such imbalances may be implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic asthma.