Objective: To investigate the changes of subsets of blood T lymphocyte in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and their clinical significance.
Methods: Subsets of blood T lymphocyte in 93 patients with SARS were detected by flow cytometer. The patients comprised 40 men and 53 women, aged 17 - 88 years (average 44 years). The results detected in 64 normal subjects and 50 patients with AIDS served as controls.
Results: The numbers of CD(3)(+), CD(4)(+), and CD(8)(+) lymphocytes all significantly decreased in acute phase of SARS patients compared with those in normal persons. Their findings was different from what we observed in patients with AIDS who had decreased CD(4)(+), but increased CD(8)(+) counts. The counts of CD(3)(+), CD(4)(+), and CD(8)(+) lymphocytes decreased more apparently in patients with critical SARS. All the five patients who died had CD(4)(+) counts less than 200/microl. As the patients' conditions improved, the counts of CD(3)(+), CD(4)(+), and CD(8)(+) gradually returned to normal.
Conclusion: The patients with SARS were found having damage of cellular immunity markedly.