Effects of cyclophosphamide on B- and T-lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis

✍ Scribed by P. J. Clements; D. T. Y. Yu; J. Levy; H. E. Paulus; E. V. Barnett

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1974
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 439 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780170403

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The characteristics of circulating blood lymphocytes in 16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on cyclophosphamide (CPA) were compared with 49 control RA patients and 70 normal volunteers. In all three groups the percentages of B‐ and T‐lymphocytes were the same. In untreated RA the absolute numbers of B‐ and T‐lymphocytes were lower than normal. During CPA therapy the absolute numbers of B‐ and T‐lymphocytes decreased markedly while the mean lymphocyte diameter increased significantly. The profound effects of CPA therapy on both B‐ and T‐lymphocytes may be related to the concomitant marked depression in humoral and cell‐mediated immunity seen during CPA therapy.