Effects of age, gender, and cigarette smoking on human immunoregulatory T-cell subsets: establishment of normal ranges and comparison with patients with colorectal cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Normal ranges for peripheral circulating mature functional T cells (OKT3+), T helper-inducer cells (OKT4+), and T cytotoxic-suppressor cells (OKT8+) were determined in 161 normal male and female volunteers. Children between 5 and 15 years of age showed higher circulating OKT3+ cell numbers than adults, and in male children the circulating OKT4+ cell number was also higher. In adults, females demonstrated higher circulating OKT4+ cell numbers than males, and smokers demonstrated higher circulating numbers of both OKT3+ and OKT4+ cells than nonsmokers. There was a significant interaction between gender and smoking, with female smokers exhibiting the highest circulating OKT3+ cell numbers. Two groups of patients entering longitudinal T-cell subset monitoring studies were compared to their appropriate normal control groups. It was found that 48% of patients with colorectal cancer were T-cell (OKT3+) lymphopenic at presentation, and that 62% had a low OKT4/OKT8 ratio. Colorectal surgery tended to correct this T-cell lymphopenia. However, only transient rises in low OKT4/OKT8 ratios were observed after surgery. Of 11 patients with multiple sclerosis in a trial of transfer factor therapy, 7 were found to have high OKT4/OKT8 ratios prior to treatment; these ratios have persisted to date during treatment.