CD8 T cell count was not associated with the severity of pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

Abstract Purposes: Tuberculosis is still a global health threat, among those, severe pulmonary tuberculosis causes significant mortality. CD8 T cell plays an important role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis. However, the association between CD8 T cell count and the severity of pulmonary TB (PTB) has not been evaluated. Methods: Patients admitted to a tertiary hospital from January 2013 to December 2017 and diagnosed as PTB with T cell subtypes tested were screened for recruitment. We compared the demographics and clinical manifestations between severe PTB patients and non-severe PTB patients, then analyzed the independent risk factors related to severe PTB after adjusting covariates. Results: There were 279 patients enrolled for analysis, 180 were severe PTB (64.5%) and 99 were non-severe PTB (35.5%). Through univariate and multivariate analysis, lung cavity (aOR 4.631, 95% CI [1.798-12.853], P= 0.002) and albumin (aOR 0.952,95% CI [0.905-1.000], P=0.05) were associated severe PTB. While CD4 T cell count (aOR 1.00,95% CI [0.999-1.001], P=0.794), CD8 T cell count (aOR 1.00,95% CI [0.999-1.001], P=0.973), and lymphocyte (aOR 0.82,95% CI [0.389-1.774], P=0.603) were not associated with severe PTB. Conclusions: Lung cavity and lower albumin level were related with an increased risk of severe PTB, while CD4, CD8 T cells count and lymphocytes were not with the severity of PTB. May be not the count, but the function of T cells plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.