Surface markers of lymphocyte activation in pregnant asthmatics

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 < 0.05). No further lymphocyte activation was observed in pregnant asthmatics (n = 21) compared either with non-pregnant asthmatic, or pregnant healthy women. Average birth weight of newborns was lower (p < 0.05) in the asthmatic than in the healthy pregnant group. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy is a state of wide-spread lymphocyte activation but it may blunt lymphocyte activation which characterizes bronchial asthma.