T cell subset counts in peripheral blood can be used as discriminatory biomarkers for diagnosis and severity prediction of COVID-19

Abstract

This study evaluated the significance of lymphocyte subsets detection in peripheral blood in the diagnosis and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our results revealed that CD3+T, CD4+T, CD8+T cells and NK cells were significantly decreased in COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 patients had a relatively slight decrease in CD4+T cells but a severe decrease of CD8+T cells. The significantly elevated CD4/CD8 ratio was observed in COVID-19 patients. T cell subset counts were related to the severity and prognosis of COVID-19. The counts of CD8+T and CD4+T cells can be used as diagnostic markers of COVID-19 and predictors of disease severity.