Abstract
Pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with inactive disease were found to have normal spontaneously generated suppressor-cell function and slightly higher concanavalin A-induced suppressor function as compared to matched normal pregnant and nonpregnant females. In six SLE patients studied sequentially throughout pregnancy and postpartum, suppressor functions were found to fall sharply within the first week after delivery. One of these patients had been studied before she became pregnant and found to have a decreased suppressor function. Nonpregnant SLE patients had both suppressor functions diminished despite their disease being similarly inactive. This group was also the only one to have decreased responses in autologous mixed-lymphocyte cultures. Both pregnant and nonpregnant SLE patients had decreased absolute numbers of total lymphocytes, T cells, and their subpopulations, but the proportions of these cells were similar in all four groups. Despite this apparent normalcy of immune regulation, pregnant SLE patients had higher levels of C1q-binding immune complexes than did nonpregnant ones. Functional T-cell abnormalities found in SLE patients tend to be corrected by pregnancy. This may explain in part the disease remissions that occur in them during the second half of pregnancy.
Published Version
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