Objectives
We analyzed the peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative patients infected with pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), aimed to find out the relationship between the levels of different types of lymphocytes with the prognosis of patients.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed HIV negative patients with PCP diagnosed in our department, all the eligible patients underwent lymphocyte subsets analysis on admission.
Results
A total of 88 HIV negative PCP patients were enrolled in the study. In univariate analyses, low CD4+ T cell count, low CD8+ T cell count, and low natural killer cell (NK cell) count were associated with in-hospital mortality. CD8+ T cell count≤300/μL was found to be an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in multivariate logistical regression analysis (p=0.015, OR=11.526, 95%CI=1.597-83.158). Although low CD4+ T cell and NK cell counts were not independent risk factors, the mortality rates of PCP patients decreased sequentially with the increased levels of CD4+ T cell and NK cell counts.
Conclusion
The immunity process of Pneumocystis jirovecii infection is complex and crucial. We proposed that lymphocyte subsets give clinicians better understandings of patients 3 immune status, early identification of potential lethal patients and decision making, such as adjusting immunosuppressive regimen and choosing appropriate patient monitoring level.