Differential expression of lymphocyte subpopulations in the peripheral blood of patients with COVID‐19: Implications for disease severity and prognosis

Abstract

Abstract Objective To investigate the expression patterns and clinical significance of specific lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. Methods Between December 2022 and February 2023, a cohort of 165 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine were analyzed. The participants represented various stages of coronavirus infection severity: mild, moderate, severe, and critical. Additionally, 40 healthy individuals constituted the control group. The FC 500MPL flow cytometer and associated reagents for flow cytometry. Results Compared with the healthy control group, activated B lymphocytes witnessed a pronounced increase (p .05). As the disease progressed, there was an uptick in midterm activated T lymphocytes (p .05). Conclusion Subsets of Treg and B‐cells could act as yardsticks for the trajectory of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and might have potential in forecasting patient trajectories. A comprehensive evaluation of lymphocyte subsets, especially in real‐time, holds the key to discerning the clinical severity in those with COVID‐19. This becomes instrumental in monitoring treatment outcomes, tracking disease evolution, and formulating prognostications. Moreover, the results provide a deeper understanding of the cellular immune defense mechanisms against the novel coronavirus infection.

Keywords

• animals
• B cells
• cells T Cells
• cells viral/retroviral
• human
• infections