Relationship between Chest CT manifestations and immune response in COVID-19 patients

He, Susu; Zhou, Chao; Lu, Dongqing; Yang, Haihua; XU, Hailing; Wu, Guixian; Pan, Weijia; Zhu, Rui; Jia, HaiJian; Tang, Xinni; Chen, Xi; Wu, Xiaomai

Abstract Objectives To study the and correlations of lymphocytes and cytokines between changes of lung lesion volumes in patients with COVID-19, and to predict their correlation. Methods 93 patients with COVID-19 were divided into mild and severe groups. The data of lymphocyte subgroups and cytokines were collected, the imaging characteristics were measured and correlation analysis was performed to analyze the differences. Results 60 mild and 33 severe patients were included, Lymphocyte subsets decreased in both groups. The percentages of reduction of absolute lymphocytes value in mild and severe groups were 32% and 64% respectively. The lung CT lesion volume of all patients was 241.45 ± 282.92 cm3, among which the mild group was 151.29 ± 226.04 cm3 and the severe group was 405.38 ± 304.90 cm3, respectively. In critically ill patients, the decrease of absolute value of CD4 + T cells and increase of IL-6 level are significantly correlated with the volume of lung lesions. Conclusions The absolute values of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8 + T cells are lower in patients with COVID-19, the levels of IL-6 and IL-10 are increased. The severity of lung lesions predicts poor clinical outcomes and may be a predictor of the transition from mild to severe.