Surface markers of lymphocyte activation in pregnant asthmatics.

Abstract Problem  Pregnancy-associated immunologic alterations may improve the course of asthma. Severe maternal asthma with an exacerbation impairs fetal growth. Method of study  Lymphocyte activation was estimated by flow cytometry analysis of surface markers in non-pregnant healthy and mild or moderate persistent asthmatic women and healthy as well as mild or moderate persistent asthmatic, third trimester pregnant women. Results  Compared with non-pregnant healthy subjects (n = 12) activated pools within CD4 and CD8 T cells were larger and the number of NK T cells were increased both in non-pregnant asthmatic (n = 12) and in healthy pregnant (n = 13) subjects (all p n = 21) compared either with non-pregnant asthmatic, or pregnant healthy women. Average birth weight of newborns was lower (p  Conclusion  Pregnancy is a state of wide-spread lymphocyte activation but it may blunt lymphocyte activation which characterizes bronchial asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]