A new indicator: The diagnostic value of CD8+T/B lymphocyte ratio in sepsis progression

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the value of single lymphocyte subpopulation and their ratios in the progression of sepsis. METHODS: From January 2019 to March 2021, 39 sepsis patients, 16 septic shock patients, and 50 healthy volunteers were recruited in the Second Xiangya Hospital for this cross-sectional study. The absolute quantitation of CD4+T, CD8+T, B lymphocytes, and NK cells in peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry. SPSS Software was used to analyze the results. RESULTS: On the whole, the numbers of lymphocytes in the sepsis group and in the septic shock group were lower than that in the healthy control group. Surprisingly, the percentage of CD8+T lymphocytes in the septic shock group was slightly higher than that in the sepsis group. The percentage of B lymphocytes in the sepsis group was higher than that in the healthy control group. The AUC of CD8+T/B was 0.724, with the sensitivity and specificity being 75.00% and 71.79%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The immune expression pattern of patients with sepsis was not a simple decrease in the number of lymphocytes. The change in the ratios of lymphocyte subpopulation might be more meaningful along the development and progression of sepsis. The ratio of CD8+T/B could be used to diagnose the progression of sepsis and reduce the misdiagnosis rate to a certain extent.