The author has studied lymphocyte subpopulation and T cell subsets in peripheral blood of 25 patients with hemodialysis and 20 healthy adult subjects for control. The patients were divided into three groups according to the duration of hemodialysis; the first group consisted of those who received for less than 12 months, the second group for 12-36 months, and the third group for
over 36 months. Lymphocyte subpopulation was examined by E-rosette method using immunobeads, and T cell subsets by monoclonal antibody (OKT series).
1) The counts of total lymphocyte, T and B cell, OKT? OKT,, and OKT, cells in all the patients showed a significant decrease, as compared with those in healthy subjects.
2) The percentages of OKT, cells in the first and the third group of the patients were significantly reduced, as compared with those in healthy subjects.
3) The percentage of OKT, cells in the third group of the patients was significantly increased, and the percentage of OKT, cells in the second group showed some tendency to be increased, as compared with that in healthy subjects.
4) The OKT,/OKT, ratio in the third group of the patients showed a signifant decrease, as compared with that in other groups including healthy subject, and the OKT,/OKT, ratio in the first and the second group tended to be decreased, as compared with that in the healthy subjects.
On the basis of the results obtained, it is suggested that the patients with the long-term maintenance hemodialysis showed hypofunction of cellular immunity probably due to an excess of suppressor T cells.
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