Back to Search Start Over

Comparative Analysis of Lymphocyte Populations in Post-COVID-19 Condition and COVID-19 Convalescent Individuals

Authors :
Luisa Berger
Johannes Wolf
Sven Kalbitz
Nils Kellner
Christoph Lübbert
Stephan Borte
Source :
Diagnostics, Vol 14, Iss 12, p 1286 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Reduced lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood are one of the most common observations in acute phases of viral infections. Although many studies have already examined the impact of immune (dys)regulation during SARS-CoV-2 infection, there are still uncertainties about the long-term consequences for lymphocyte homeostasis. Furthermore, as persistent cellular aberrations have been described following other viral infections, patients with “Post-COVID-19 Condition” (PCC) may present similarly. In order to investigate cellular changes in the adaptive immune system, we performed a retrospective analysis of flow cytometric data from lymphocyte subpopulations in 106 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who received medical care at our institution. The patients were divided into three groups according to the follow-up date; laboratory analyses of COVID-19 patients were compared with 28 unexposed healthy controls. Regarding B lymphocyte subsets, levels of IgA + CD27+, IgG + CD27+, IgM + CD27− and switched B cells were significantly reduced at the last follow-up compared to unexposed healthy controls (UHC). Of the 106 COVID-19 patients, 56 were clinically classified as featuring PCC. Significant differences between PCC and COVID-19 convalescents compared to UHC were observed in T helper cells and class-switched B cells. However, we did not detect specific or long-lasting immune cellular changes in PCC compared to the non-post-COVID-19 condition.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20754418
Volume :
14
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Diagnostics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9207b017901a45a38b6360f0f8aa4f93
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14121286