T-lymphocyte-subsets in endocrine exophthalmos.

Peripheral T-Lymphocyte subsets were analyzed with monolateral antibodies in 40 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. The 20 patients with untreated hyperthyroid exophthalmos showed a slight statistically not significant decrease in the percentage of total T-Lymphocytes and a statistically significant decrease with percentage of the OK T8 cells. No significant changes were observed in the percentage of OK T3 and OK T4 and OK T8 cells in patients with euthyroid exophthalmos under the drug treatment. These findings indicate the significant association of quantitative abnormality of suppressor-cytotoxic cells with untreated hyperthyroid exophthalmos.