Lymphocyte subpopulations and lymphocyte reactivity in chronic cigarette smokers.

Cigarette smoke has been implicated as an important risk factor in the development of respiratory disease in smokers. It has been suggested that smoke-induced changes in the immune response may be related to the susceptibility of smokers to respiratory tract infections1). Smokers have been shown to have elevated leukocyte, lymphocyte and T cell counts2, 3), depressed neutrophil chemotactic activity4, 5) and decreased immunoglobulin levels6). Several investigations indicate depressed cellular immune response in small animals following chronic exposure to tobacco smokes7, 8). In humans, an increase in lymphocyte count and decreased natural killer cell activity have been observed in smokers5, 9-11).In the present study, lymphocyte subpopulations and lymphocyte reactivity in peripheral blood were studied in smokers with various smoking habits.