OBSERVATION OF CHANGES IN PERCENTAGE OF
CIRCULATING CD16/56 SUBPOPULATIONS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN DYNAMIC
OF GRAVES’ DISEASE
Urban M. 1 , Bossowski A.
1, Stasiak-Barmuta A. 2
12nd
Department of Children’s Diseases, Medical Academy of Bialystok, Poland
2
Department of Pediatric Allergology , Medical Academy of Bialystok, Poland
Objective: T cells are
involved in the etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease.
Methods: The aim of this
study was to evaluate the distribution of CD3, CD16/56 cytotoxic T and
natural killer (NK) cells on peripheral blood in children and adolescents
with immune (Graves’ disease). The percentages of peripheral blood CD3,
CD16/56 (cytotoxic T and NK) cells were measured by the three-color flow
cytometry.
Results:
In untreated Graves’ patients we observed a significant decrease of
CD16/56+ T (CD3+) (p<0.01, NS) and CD16/56 NK (CD-) (p<0.0004,
p<0.0004) cells in comparison to the healthy control subjects and
euthyroid Graves’ patients. After 6-12 months of methimazole therapy, the
percentage of all these ( cytotoxic T and NK) cells in peripheral blood
returned to the normal values. Furthermore, there was no difference in the
percentage of CD3+ lymphocytes in the four groups. In
untreated Graves’ patients correlation between percentages of CD16/56 T
(CD3+) cells and serum level of free thyroxine was found, whereas no such
correlation was detected with antithyroid antibodies.
Conclusion: that the cytotoxic T and NK cells is altered in children and
adolescents with Graves’ disease, independently of the antythyroid
antibodies. These changes in peripheral blood lymphocytes could be used as
a prognostic marker of Graves’ disease.