CD8A and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Dexamethasone inhibited cytokine release from pulmonary CD8 cells in a concentration dependent manner with mean inhibition at the highest concentration for IL-2 of 74.1 and 63.5 % for S and COPD respectively and IFNγ of 68.2 and 48.0 % for S and COPD respectively (Fig. 3).