Circulating CLA+ T cell subsets inversely correlate with disease severity and extension in acute psoriasis but not in chronic plaque psoriasis.

Circulating CLA+ T cells represent a subset of lymphocytes functionally associated to several cutaneous diseases. This population of peripheral lymphocytes is poorly characterized in acute stage psoriasis. We studied, by flow cytometry, the relationship between disease severity and extension and different subsets of circulating T cells in 31 psoriatic patients (7 guttate, 8 acute and 16 chronic psoriasis). An inverse correlation between circulating CLA+ CD3+/CD4+ subsets and disease severity and extension was found in the acute form of psoriasis. Interestingly, we also observed that circulating CLA+CD4+CD25+ cells inversely correlated with PASI and BSA in guttate patients, which had not been shown previously. These results may contribute to clarify the role of circulating T cells in psoriasis, especially in early stages of psoriasis.