title: Altered T-lymphocyte subsets in severe sepsis.
abstract: To investigate the immune response of surgical patients to injury and sepsis, we measured total lymphocyte counts and T-cell subsets in five nonseptic and 17 septic subjects. Total lymphocyte and T-cell levels declined to similar degrees following injury or sepsis and did not appear to be of value as prognostic indicators. However, analysis of T-cell subsets in septic patients indicated that survivors exhibited normal T-cell subpopulations as well as helper to suppressor cell ratios. Nonsurvivors generally exhibited a selective depression of helper (OKT4) T-cells and the resultant degree of helper to suppressor ratio decline was directly related to mortality. A helper to suppressor ratio (OKT4/T8) below 0.6 was uniformly associated with a fatal outcome. Finally, a small subgroup of septic nonsurviving patients exhibited a selective depression of suppressor (OKT8) lymphocytes which also appeared to carry an unfavorable prognosis. These data indicate that T-lymphocyte subpopulation analysis is a useful predictor of hospital course.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Immunology, V.A. Medical Center, Allen Park, Michigan.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dahn
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Whitcomb
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000276:immunology; D011379:Prognosis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*