Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) patients had normal absolute lymphocyte counts, increased percentage of Leu3+/T4+ cells (p less than 0.001) and raised T4/T8 ratio (p less than 0.01). Double-colour immunofluorescence analysis using isotype-specific goat anti-mouse immunoglobulins, fluorescein or rhodamine-conjugated, demonstrated that the rise in inducer (Leu3+/T4+) T-cells was almost entirely represented by an expanded population of T4+TQ1- and 5/9+ true helper lymphocytes. T4+ cells also expressed IL2 receptors, as detected by the anti-Tac monoclonal antibody (range 1-18%). On the other hand, the percentage of Leu3+/T4+ cells which bind the K562 cell-line or co-express NK markers on their surface, such as Leu7 (HNK-1), was within the normal range in the majority of ALD patients. Functional studies on patients' cultured total or B-enriched lymphocytes in a pokeweed-mitogen-driven B-cell differentiation assay showed an enhanced plasma cell generation even in unstimulated cultures. Co-culture experiments with normal enriched-B lymphocytes demonstrated that both irradiated and non-irradiated patient T cells led to an increased plasma cell generation. These findings indicate that helper T cells and B cells are all simultaneously activated in vivo, and that the suppressor T lymphocyte function is normal in ALD.