Features of peripheral blood cellular immunity parameters in patients with lung damage up to 30 % in COVID-19

Background. The stability of human organism for different kind of infection, including SARS-CoV-2 is significantly defined by the immune system. The mechanisms of the cellular immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 are not exactly defined and are under study.

The aim. To study the features of cell immunity parameters in patients with lung damage up to 30 % in COVID-19.

Material and methods. 73 people were examined during the 2020–2021 pandemic. The study group consisted of 31 patients with lung damage up to 30 % with COVID-19, the comparison group consisted of 42 people not infected with SARS-CoV-2. A complete clinical blood count was carried out using a Medonic M20 hematological analyzer (Boule Medical, Sweden), the level of lymphocyte subpopulations was determined using a FACS Calibur cytometer (BD, USA) and FITC- and phycoerythrin-labeled monoclonal antibodies (Sorbent, Russia). Differences were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05.

Results. Patients with COVID-19 with lung damage according to computed tomography (CT) ≤ 30 % before the treatment had a restructuring in the ratio of lymphocyte subpopulations in 67.7 % of cases. Lymphopenia (< 1.1 × 10⁹ cells/l) was detected in 34.4 % of patients: a decrease in the absolute count of CD3⁺ lymphocytes by 30.8 %, CD3⁺CD4⁺ – by 35 %, CD3⁺CD8⁺ – by 6.7 % (p < 0.05), CD16⁺CD56⁺ natural killer (NK) cells – by 29.4 % (p = 0.009). The level of CD95⁺ lymphocytes in COVID-19 is 3.2 times higher than in healthy individuals. Elevated levels of HLA-DR⁺- (> 20 %) and CD3⁺ HLADR⁺ lymphocytes (> 6 %) are recorded in 60 % and 86.7 % of patients, respectively. Elevated levels of CD19⁺ B lymphocytes (> 17 %) in COVID-19 are 2.6 times more common than in healthy individuals. Correlation dependences of the count of NK cells with a wide range of T lymphocyte subpopulations were revealed.

Conclusion. Cellular immunity indicators in COVID-19 have a number of features that can serve as predictors of the progression of the severity of the disease.

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