Table 2.
CD4+ T-cell surface protein expression in patients with non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), patients with exudative AMD, and control individuals.
| Controls (n = 30) | Non-exudative AMD (n = 24) | Exudative AMD (n = 30) | P-value (group) | P-value (con. vs. non-ex. AMD) | P-value (con. vs. ex. AMD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Th1 (CD4+CXCR3+IL12RB2+), mean (SD) | 6.1 (4.8) | 4.2 (3.3) | 3.7 (2.2) | 0.031a | 0.098b | 0.016b |
| Th17 (CD4+CCR6+IL23R+), mean (SD) | 9.2 (5.8) | 8.0 (7.1) | 6.3 (5.5) | 0.181a | — | — |
| Th17/Th1 ratio, median (IQR) | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.2) | 1.5 (0.9 to 2.5) | 1.3 (0.7 to 2.7) | 0.631c | — | — |
| CD4+IL12RB2+, mean (SD) | 38.9 (8.4) | 38.5 (8.8) | 37.5 (5.3) | 0.780a | — | — |
| CD4+IL23R+, mean (SD) | 24.9 (13.4) | 24.4 (15.3) | 18.7 (13.1) | 0.173a | — | — |
| CD4+CXCR3+, mean (SD) | 13.9 (10.7) | 9.4 (7.0) | 8.2 (5.1) | 0.019a | 0.066b | 0.012b |
| CD4+CCR6+, mean (SD) | 28.8 (9.8) | 21.1 (11.9) | 22.9 (10.6) | 0.024a | 0.015b | 0.030b |
| CD4+CXCR3+CCR6+, median (IQR) | 4.1 (2.4 to 8.6) | 1.6 (1.1 to 4.7) | 2.2 (1.4 to 4.0) | 0.009c | 0.007d | 0.014d |
Abbreviations: n = number; AMD = age-related macular degeneration; Th1 = T helper 1; Th17 = T helper 17; SD = standard deviation. Groups are compared using: aanalysis of variance (ANOVA); bindependent samples t-test; cKruskal-Wallis test; dMann-Whitney U-test. Cell populations with significant differences are greyed out.