T Helper Subsets Pattern in Organ Specific Versus Non-organ Specific Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

The autoimmune diseases require multifactorial pathogenesis for their development. Single components are insufficient to induce the disease state, rather complex genetic, environmental and immune factors interact to reach the threshold for disease. Recently, it has become clear that the CD4+ T helper cell subsets, namely the Thl and Th2 cells, and the factors they produce; IL-2, IFN-y, TNF-P and IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10 respectively, play a key role in regulating the immune system function. The Thl cells function to promote cell-mediated immunity, whereas the Th2 cells facilitate humoral immune responses.

An excessive Thl or Th2 like responses are implicated in the development of different organ specific and non-organ specific autoimmune diseases respectively. The present work aimed to measure the serum levels ofThl type and Th2 type cytokine namely, IFN-y and IL-4 respectively in different groups with organ-specific and non-organ specific autoimmune diseases, and to recognize their relevance in the generation of pathogenic mechanisms leading to disease development. Forty four patients and Eight normal subjects were included in this study. They were classified into five groups. Group one included the healthy controls, 4 females (50%) and 4 males (50%), their mean age was 31 ± 8.07 years. Group two comprised twelve SLE patients, 10 females (83.3%) and 2 males (16.7%). Their mean age was 22.3 ± 5.9 years and their mean disease duration was 2 ± 1.1 years. Group three comprised twelve RA patients, they were all females (100%) with a mean age of 35.8 ± 7.7 years and mean duration of disease of 6.2 ± 5.2 years. Group four included ten IDDM patients, they were 4 females (40%) and 6 males (60%) with a mean age of 21.40 ± 5.64 years and mean duration of disease of 4.55 ± 3.61 years.