Lymphocyte subsets in HLA-DR2-positive narcoleptic patients.

On the basis of our recent finding that all narcoleptic patients were HLA-DR2 positive, peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were examined in 30 HLA-DR2 positive narcoleptic patients by using monoclonal antibodies and a flow cytometry. The percentages of OKIa1+ cells and OKM1+ cells increased significantly, while no quantitative changes were observed in the T cell subsets examined in the present study. No major immunological abnormalities which altered the T cell subpopulations quantitatively were apparent in narcolepsy.