TY - JOUR T1 - Markers of activity in clinically recovered human leukocyte antigen-DR17-positive sarcoidosis patients JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 52 LP - 57 DO - 10.1183/09031936.03.00059103 VL - 21 IS - 1 AU - A. Planck AU - A. Eklund AU - J. Grunewald Y1 - 2003/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/21/1/52.abstract N2 - Scandinavian human leukocyte antigen-DR17-positive (DR17+) sarcoidosis patients are characterised by a good prognosis. They also reveal an accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of T‐lymphocytes expressing the T‐cell receptor V gene segment AV2S3 at disease onset. The authors of this study wished to establish whether AV2S3 T‐lymphocyte accumulation changes from disease onset to clinically resolved disease and how this relates to other activity parameters. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum from nine DR17+ sarcoidosis patients were examined at disease onset and after spontaneous resolution of clinical and radiographical signs of disease. Nine DR17+ patients with lung accumulated CD4+ AV2S3+ T‐cells were investigated after clinically recovery. At re-examination the percentage of CD4+ AV2S3+ lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was normalised (29 versus 5.4%). A significant reduction in lymphocyte percentage (14 versus 4.4%) and a decrease in cellular concentration (179×106·L−1 versus 111×106·L−1) and CD4/CD8 ratio (5.2 versus 2.4) were also seen. In serum, the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (24.9 versus 14.0 U·mL−1) as well as the levels of neopterin (7.8 versus 5.3 nmol·L−1) decreased significantly after recovery. These results indicate that the locally accumulated AV2S3 positive T‐lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage are involved in the pathogenic process of sarcoidosis in this patient group. This study was supported by the Swedish Medical Research Council (K2002-74X-14182-01A), the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the King Oscar II Jubilee Foundation and the Karolinska Institutet. ER -