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Lymphopenia, a reduction in blood lymphocyte count, is known to inversely correlate with the prognosis for patients with myocardial infarction (MI). However, the underlying mechanisms by which cardiac ischemia induces lymphopenia remain elusive. This study provides the first evidence that MI activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to increase glucocorticoid secretion, and elevated circulating glucocorticoids induce blood lymphocytes trafficking to the bone marrow, leading to lymphopenia.
Ma et al. (Fri,) studied this question.