Abstract
Background: T-cell immunity is essential to effectively combat
the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). In this research, the absolute
T-cell CD4 and CD8 counts by flow cytometry were measured and the
CD4:CD8 ratio in COVID-19 infected individuals was assessed. This
investigation will help researchers to better understand the immune
reaction to COVID-19 infection leading to improved medical and
diagnostic outcomes. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were
taken from 26 critically sick and 26 non-critically sick COVID-19
individuals of comparable age and sex. Absolute WBC count, absolute
lymphocyte count, and platelet count were checked and flow cytometry was
performed to calculate the absolute CD4 and CD8 T cells counts.
Results: The critically ill COVID-19 patients were older
(p<0.001) than non-critically sick COVID-19 individuals. In
patients who got critically ill, absolute lymphocyte count (p=0.004),
absolute CD4 count (p=0.002) and absolute CD8 counts (p=0.014) were low.
However, the CD4:CD8 ratio did not differ substantially across the
groups (p=0.538). The two groups did not differ in terms of gender.
Absolute monocyte count (p=0.01) and absolute eosinophil count (p=0.01)
were reduced significantly in critically sick patients as compared to
non-critically sick COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: When
compared to COVID-19 patients who weren’t in critical condition, the
absolute lymphocyte count, CD4 count, and CD8 count of critically sick
COVID-19 patients were significantly lower. This revealed that the lack
of adequate cellular immune responses in critically sick COVID-19
patients may be the cause of the disease severity.