The total number of t-lymphocytes( CD3) in the blood
Normally, the relative total number of T-lymphocytes in the blood in adults is 58-76%, the absolute amount is 1,1-1,7x109 / l.
Mature T-lymphocytes are responsible for the reactions of cellular immunity and carry out immunological surveillance of antigenic homeostasis in the body. They are formed in the bone marrow and differentiate in the glandular gland, where they are divided into effector cells( T-lymphocytes-killers, delayed-type hypersensitivity T-lymphocytes) and regulator( T-lymphocytes-helper cells, suppressor T-lymphocytes) cells. In accordance with this, T-lymphocytes perform two important functions in the body: effector and regulatory.
The effector function of T-lymphocytes is a specific cytotoxicity with respect to foreign cells. The regulatory function( the T-helper-T-suppressor system) consists in monitoring the intensity of the development of a specific immune system response to foreign Ar. Regulatory effects of T-lymphocytes on the cells of the monocytic-macrophagal series are diverse. The ability of T-lymphocytes to synthesize and produce cytokines will allow them to participate not only in the regulation of immunity functions, but also in many vital processes. At the heart of many diseases is the pathology of T-lymphocytes, which in some cases is directly related to their defeat, and in others is mediated through impaired immunoregulation. Reduction of the absolute number of T-lymphocytes in the blood testifies to the insufficiency of cellular immunity, increase - about the hyperactivity of immunity and the presence of immunoproliferative diseases.
The development of any inflammatory process throughout its entire course is accompanied by a decrease in the content of T-lymphocytes. This is observed in inflammations of the most diverse etiology: various infections, nonspecific inflammatory processes, destruction of damaged tissues and cells after surgery, trauma, burns, heart attack, destruction of malignant tumor cells, etc. The degree of decrease in the number of T-lymphocytes as a whole depends on the intensity of the inflammatory process, although this pattern is not always observed. An increase in the number of T-lymphocytes in the dynamics of the inflammatory process is considered a favorable sign, however, a high T-lymphocyte count with pronounced clinical manifestations, on the contrary, is an unfavorable indication indicating a tendency to chronic. Complete completion of the inflammatory process is accompanied by a normalization of the number of T-lymphocytes. The increase in the relative amount of T-lymphocytes is not of great clinical significance, but an increase in the absolute number of T-lymphocytes in the blood is very important for the diagnosis of leukemia.