A 3-Week Dynamic Differences of Immunological Parameters in Severe and Non-severe COVID-19

Li, Qiang Xu Wei Li Weixia Huang Chenglu Chen Liang

Objective: We aimed to compare the dynamic differences of immunological parameters in severe and non-severe COVID-19. Methods: In this study, the cytokine profiles and lymphocyte subsets of 70 patients (31 severe COVID-19 and 39 non-severe COVID-19) were longitudinally analyzed. Results: Compared with non-severe cases, severe cases had higher age (64 vs 36 years, p <0.001), more common comorbidities (74.2% vs 15.4%, p <0.001), and more frequently lymphopenia (0.7 vs 1.6×10 9 /L, p <0.001). Severe cases had markedly higher levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 than non-severe cases from baseline to 3 weeks after admission ( p <0.001). No significant differences were observed in the levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-12P70, IL-17, TNF-α, IFN-α, and IFN-γ between the two groups during the follow-up ( p > 0.05). The absolute numbers of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD45+ T cells were markedly lower in severe cases compared with that in non-severe cases from baseline to 3 weeks after admission ( p <0.001). The decrease of T lymphocyte subsets reached its peak from day 1 to 3 after admission, and gradually increased from day 4 to 21 in the non-severe group;however, reached its peak from day 4 to 7 after admission, and sustained at a low levels in the severe group. Conclusion: The dynamic changes of cytokine profiles and T lymphocyte subsets are related with the disease severity of patients with COVID-19.