The clinical trajectory of peripheral blood immune cell subsets, T-cell activation, and cytokines in septic patients

Abstract

Objective and design: Changes in the immune status of patients with sepsis may have a major impact on their prognosis. Our research focused on changes in various immune cell subsets and T-cell activation during the progression of sepsis.

Methods and subjects: We collected data from 188 sepsis patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The main focus was on the patient's immunocyte subset typing, T-cell activation/Treg cell analysis, and cytokine assay, which can indicate the immune status of the patient.

Results: The study found that the number of CD4⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, NK cells, and B cells decreased early in the disease, and the decrease in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells was more pronounced in the death group. T lymphocyte activation was inhibited, and the number of Treg cells increased as the disease progressed. T lymphocyte inhibition was more significant in the death group, and the increase in IL-10 was more significant in the death group. Finally, we used patients' baseline conditions and immunological detection indicators for modeling and found that IL-10, CD4⁺ Treg cells, CD3⁺HLA-DR⁺ T cells, and CD3⁺CD69⁺ T cells could predict patients' prognosis well.

Conclusion: Our study found that immunosuppression occurs in patients early in sepsis. Early monitoring of the patient's immune status may provide a timely warning of the disease.

Keywords: Cytokines; Immunocyte; Immunosuppression; Sepsis; T-cell activation.