Abstract
Immunoregulatory imbalances are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). We have found that a subset of patients with JRA demonstrate a marked expansion of B cells without an alteration in B cell subset distribution. However, there was actually decreased in vitro immunoglobulin production in response to stimulation with either pokeweed mitogen or hydrocortisone. These B cell abnormalities were found to correlate with a marked increase in the percentage of CD4+CD45R+ T cells, a T cell subset thought to be responsible for inducing suppression. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of CD4+CD29+ T cells, a T cell subset thought to be responsible for inducing B cell immunoglobulin production. Our results suggest that the B cell abnormalities seen in JRA may be related to defects in T cell immunoregulation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 940-948 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Rheumatology |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 7 |
State | Published - 1989 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rheumatology
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology