Table 3.
Evolution of lymphocyte subpopulations levels in patients with RA under biologic drugs
| Lymphocyte populations | Patients M0 (n = 31) | Patients M1 (n = 29) | Patients M3 (n = 29) | Patients M6 (n = 26) | p (6 months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lymphocytes | |||||
| (%) | 23.8 (18.2–29.9) | 29.8 (17.9–36.7) | 28.9 (22.9–33.4) | 29.55 (20.95–36.8) | 0.140 |
| (/mm) | 1600 (1300–2000) | 1600 (1300–2200) | 1900 (1500–2300) | 1550 (1300–1900) | 0.117 |
| B lymphocytes | |||||
| (%) | 11.07 (8.28–16.05) | 11.60 (8.94–17.47) | 12.42 (8.44–15.96) | 10.365 (8.38–14.52) | 0.077 |
| (/mm3) | 156.15 (95.5–270.2) | 201.57 (143.02–314.80) | 192.63 (122.65–260.56) | 180.66 (119.86–255.99) | 0.989 |
| T2/Breg | |||||
| (%) | 8.46 (5.95–10.35) | 6.43 (4.31–9.92) | 8.54 (6.35–12.5) | 9.35 (5.93–12.65) | 0.099 |
| (/mm) | 12.75 (8.88–21.15) | 13.47 (8.85–24.43) | 15.29 (9.06–28.36) | 15.81 (8.40–22.83) | 0.489 |
| CD24hiCD27+ Breg | |||||
| (%) | 16.34 (13.2–27.71) | 18.53 (15.02–31.61) | 20.16 (14.81–30.26) | 23.33 (14.02–33.00) | 0.246 |
| (/mm3) | 33.26 (20.1–43.84) | 34.87 (23.29–65.00) | 35.22 (22.38–66.29) | 35.54 (17.28–55.98) | 0.813 |
| Treg | |||||
| (%) | 6.37 (4.91–7.98) | 5.41 (4.36–7.06) | 5.54 (4.63–6.85) | 6.38 (4.87–7.02) | 0.048* |
| (/mm3) | 49.40 (37.6–62.52) | 40.36 (30.60–60.24) | 47.7 (35.89–65.28) | 51.20 (34.97–66.14) | 0.702 |
| Th17 | |||||
| (%) | 19.57 (13.4–22.48) | 19.0 (12.87–24.39) | 19.01 (14.63–23.90) | 19.50 (14.40–25.85) | 0.928 |
| (/mm3) | 76.85 (49.1–96.77) | 76.4 (47.75–112.7) | 77.10 (61.80–113.43) | 77.27 (65.66–91.44) | 0.958 |
Total lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, T2/B regulatory cells (Breg), CD24hiCD27+ Breg, T regulatory cells (Treg) and T helper 17 (Th17) cells observed in absolute value (cells/mm3) and percentage (%) at different stages of the treatment, i.e. M0 (n = 31), M1 (n = 29), M3 (n = 29) and M6 (n = 26) and the difference observed; expressed as median and IQR, Kruskall − Wallis test. RA rheumatoid arthritis. *p < 0.05