Studies of lymphocyte populations in pre-eclampsia-eclampsia.

The possibility that the etiology of toxemia might be immunologic has been held for over 70 years. In the past decade, numerous studies have been instituted in attempts to verify the possible role of the immune system in this disease. The present study was undertaken as a probe to determine if a gross difference in the numbers of T and B cell lymphocyte populations might exist between pre-eclamptic and normally pregnant women. Twenty-five normally pregnant women in the third trimester were compared to 25 pre-eclamptic women, and significant differences were noted. If, indeed, there is an immunologic basis for pre-eclampsia, it is more subtle than the methodology used in this study is capable of detecting.