Atlas of Diagnostic Cytopathology
Regi Oommen · Journal of Clinical Pathology · 1994
T cells in idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome Following the recent publication by Dr Metz and colleagues, I have corresponded with regard to the possibility that the hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) may be a manifestation of TH2 cell clonal proliferation.'2Just before the publication of my letter, substantial proof for this hypothesis was provided by Cogan et al.3 Investigations on peripheral blood lymphocytes from a 30 year old man with the HES identified a monoclonal rearrangement of the T cell receptor fi chain.The cultured T cell clone also showed a pattern of cytokine synthesis (interleukins 4 and 5) consistent with a TH2 origin.This important case report adds further documentary evidence to the rapidly increasing proof that human T cells have THI and TH2 subsets analogous to their established murine counterparts.Further- more, this division seems to be highly rele- vant to the classification and pathogenesis of human T cell associated disease.