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Decreased CD4 and CD8 count are responsible for severity of COVID-19 infection
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  • Yasir Ishaq,
  • Muhammad Omar Malik,
  • Yasar Mehmood Yousafzai,
  • Maria Qubtia,
  • Imran Ullah Khan,
  • Awal Mir
Yasir Ishaq
Khyber Medical University
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Muhammad Omar Malik
Khyber Medical University

Corresponding Author:omarmalik786@gmail.com

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Yasar Mehmood Yousafzai
Khyber Medical University
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Maria Qubtia
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre
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Imran Ullah Khan
Rehman Medical Institute
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Awal Mir
Rehman Medical Institute
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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.