Evaluation of Lymphocyte Subtypes in COVID-19 Patients

BACKGROUND: Although many aspects of the COVID-19 disease have not yet been clarified, dysregulation of the immune system may play a crucial role in the progression of the disease. In this study, the lymphocyte subsets were evaluated in patients with different severities of COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, the frequencies of peripheral lymphocyte subsets (CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD8(+) T cells; CD19(+) and CD20(+) B cells; CD16(+)/CD56(+) NK cells, and CD4(+)/CD25(+)/FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells) were evaluated in 67 patients with confirmed COVID-19 on the first day of their admission. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 51.3 ± 14.8 years. Thirty-two patients (47.8%) were classified as severe cases, and 11 (16.4%) were categorized as critical. The frequencies of blood lymphocytes, CD3(+) cells, CD25(+)FOXP3(+) T cells, and absolute count of CD3(+) T cells, CD25(+)FOXP3(+) T cells, CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and CD16(+)56(+) lymphocytes were lower in more severe cases compared to the milder patients. The percentages of lymphocytes, T cells, and NK cells were significantly lower in the deceased patients. (p= 0.002 and p= 0.042, p=0.006, respectively). CONCLUSION: Findings of this cohort study demonstrated that the frequencies of CD4(+), CD8(+), CD25(+)FOXP3(+) T cells, and NK cells differed in the severe cases of COVID-19. Moreover, lower frequency of T cells and NK cells could be predictors of mortality in these patients.