| Abstract [eng] |
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease associated with variable degree of lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands, broad clinical manifestations and approximately 5% of patients developming lymphoma. The most prevalent symptom in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome is diminished lacrimal and salivary gland function, xerostomia, kerotoconjunctivitis sicca and parotid gland enlargement. Changes in blood lymphocyte subsets not only mirror alterations in other tissues and organs, but might also provide information about involvement of the immune system in the pathogenesis of Sjögren’s syndrome. Evaluation of phenotypic changes of peripheral blood lymphocytes can be useful in monitoring and treatment of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quantitative changes in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. Patients and Methods: T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of 5 patients with Sjögren’s syndrome were determined using flow cytometry and compared with the group of 4 control subjects. All patients and control subjects were female. The mean age of patients with Sjögren’s syndrome was 45,2 years, range 20 – 61 years. The mean age of subjects of the control was 51,8 years, range 25 – 67 years. A trend for the decrease in percentage of NK cells in peripheral blood was determined in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome. Little change was found in percentages of T and B lymphocytes. The detailed quantitative analysis of CD8+ T lymphocyte subpopulation showed that the percentage of CD8iCD57+CD27+ cells increased significantly in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome. The detailed quantitative analysis of CD4+ T lymphocyte subset showed a trend for decrease of regulatory T lymphocytes and T helper 17 cells in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome. |
