Lymphopenia in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection is caused by margination of lymphocytes in large bowel: an [(18)F]FDG PET/CT study

BACKGROUND: To investigate the cause of lymphopenia in patients with newly diagnosed COVID-19, we measured [(18)F]FDG uptake in several tissues, including the ileum, right colon, and caecum at diagnosis and after recovery and correlated these measurements with haematological parameters. METHODS: We studied, by [(18)F]FDG PET/CT, 18 newly diagnosed patients with COVID-19. Regions of interest were drawn over major organs and in the terminal ileum, caecum, and right colon, where the bowel wall was evaluable. Five patients were re-examined after recovery, and three of them also performed a white blood cell scan with (99m)Tc-HMPAO-WBC on both occasions. Complete blood count was performed on both occasions, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were measured at diagnosis. Data were analysed by a statistician. RESULTS: Patients had moderate severity COVID-19 syndrome. Basal [(18)F]FDG PET/CT showed focal lung uptake corresponding to hyperdense areas at CT. We also found high spleen, ileal, caecal, and colonic activity as compared to 18 control subjects. At recovery, hypermetabolic tissues tended to normalize, but activity in the caecum remained higher than in controls. Regression analyses showed an inverse correlation between CD4 + lymphocytes and [(18)F]FDG uptake in the caecum and colon and a direct correlation between CD8 + lymphocytes and [(18)F]FDG uptake in lungs and bone marrow. WBC scans showed the presence of leukocytes in the caecum and colon that disappeared at recovery. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that lymphopenia in COVID-19 patients is associated with large bowel inflammation supporting the hypothesis that CD4 + lymphocytes migrate to peripheral lymphoid tissues in the bowel. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00259-022-05801-0.