A study of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood, liver and spleen of patients with idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH)

Lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood, liver and spleen of patients with idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) were examined by means of flow cytometry and immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies. The patients with IPH showed a slight decrease in the percentage of Leu2a+ cells and a slight increase of the ratio of Leu3a+ to Leu2a+ cells in the peripheral blood compared with the normal subjects. Flow cytometry analysis of the intrasplenic lymphocyte subsets in the patients with IPH revealed a significant elevation in the percentage of Leu2a+ cells (p less than 0.01) and a reduction of the Leu3a+ to Leu2a+ ratio (p less than 0.05) compared with the normal subjects, and also showed an increase in the percentage of Leu2a+ cells (p less than 0.05) in comparison to the patients with cirrhosis of the liver. An immunohistochemical and histometrical study of the spleen in the patients with IPH revealed an elevation of the amount of red pulp area compared to the normal subjects, and also a significantly increased number of Leu2a+ cells in the red pulp (p less than 0.02) in comparison to the patients with cirrhosis of the liver. Most of the Leu2a+ cells in the spleen were considered to be Leu2a+.15- cells by double immunostaining method. In lymphoid follicles, the IPH cases showed an increase in the size of follicle and germinal center, and an increased number of Leu3a+ cells in the germinal center and the marginal zone compared with the normal subjects. In the liver, the IPH cases showed a similar distribution but fewer lymphocyte subsets in comparison to the patients with cirrhosis of the liver. These results suggested that some immunological disorder is present in patients with IPH.