Suppressor and helper T cell subpopulations in 12 patients with SSPE (5 patients in stage I, 6 in stage II and 1 in stage III) were studied by using theophylline modulation of E rosette formation in order to detect regulatory T cell abnormalities. The percentages of Tres (helper), Tsen (suppressor) cells and the Tres/Tsen ratio were not significantly different in patients and controls. When patients were evaluated according to their clinical stages, again no significant difference was found. However, variations from the normal range were observed in some patients and the Tres/Tsen ratio tended to be higher in SSPE patients than in controls. Only the mean percentage of E rosettes was significantly lower in patients in both stage I and stage II than in controls.

These results suggest that SSPE patients do not have any consistent abnormality in regulatory T cells measured by theophylline modulation of E rosette formation.

Keywords: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, T lymphocyte subpopulations, theophylline