Analysis of peripheral T lymphocyte subpopulations in Graves' disease.

To detect possible changes in the T lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with Graves' disease, T mu and T gamma lymphocytes and "active" T lymphocytes were counted in the peripheral blood lymphocytes. Antithyroid autoantibodies were also measured in correlation with T lymphocyte subset analysis. We found no alteration whatever in T lymphocyte subpopulations, although there was a slight increase in the proportion of "active" T lymphocytes and T gamma lymphocytes in the untreated group, as compared to treated group, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no correlation between T lymphocyte subpopulations and antithyroid autoantibodies. These data indicate that the defects in T gamma lymphocytes with suppressor function, probably does not explain the etiology of Graves' disease, despite the hypothesis that defects in suppressor cells may lead to the production of thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins and antithyroid autoantibodies in Graves' disease.