Imbalance in T gamma and T mu lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with sarcoidosis.

The percentage and the absolute numbers of T lymphocytes Fc receptors for IgG and IgM (T gamma and T mu lymphocytes, respectively) were evaluated in fourteen patients with active sarcoidosis and in a group of controls. A marked increase in the percentage of T gamma cells and a net decrease of T mu cells were found. Although sarcoidosis patients present a T lymphopenia, the absolute number of T gamma lymphocytes was still increased whereas the T mu decrease was even more pronounced. The possible causes of this imbalance in view of the recent interpretations of T suppressor and T helper lymphocytes are discussed.