Age-matched lymphocyte subpopulation reference values in childhood and adolescence: application of exponential regression analysis.
BACKGROUND
Normal values of lymphocyte subpopulations for healthy children and adults have been published in defined age groups exclusively, which results in difficult data interpretation for patients close to the limit of contiguous age group ranges. In addition, normal values for a number of lymphocyte subpopulations have not been established to date.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to develop a model which provides continuous age-dependent reference values. This model was applied for lymphocyte subpopulations such as naïve and memory T cells as well as their activation profile with diagnostic relevance in children and adults.


METHODS
A total of 100 blood samples, obtained from 80 healthy children and 20 adults were analysed by means of four colour-flow cytometry. Continuous age-dependent reference values were computed based on the residual values in an exponential regression model.


RESULTS
We calculated a continuous age-related regression model for both, absolute cell counts and percentages of CD3(+)CD4(+) T helper (T(H)) cells, CD3(+)CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells, CD56(+)CD3(-) natural killer (NK) cells, CD56(+)CD3(+) T cells, CD3(+)CD4(+)CD45RA(+) naïve T(H) cells, CD3(+)CD4(+)CD45RO(+) memory T(H) cells, CD3(+)CD8(+)CD45RA(+)CD28(+) naïve cytotoxic T cells, CD3(+)CD8(+)CD45RO(+) memory cytotoxic T cells, CD3(+)CD8(+)CD69(+) early activated cytotoxic T cells and CD3(+)CD8(+)HLA-DR(+) late activated cytotoxic T cells, respectively, to obtain reference values.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on an exponential regression model, the obtained reference values reflect the continuous maturation of lymphocyte subsets during childhood.
Huenecke
Sabine
S
Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Haemostaseology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt/Main, Germany. s@bine-huenecke.de
Behl
Michael
M
Fadler
Carla
C
Zimmermann
Stefanie Y
SY
Bochennek
Konrad
K
Tramsen
Lars
L
Esser
Ruth
R
Klarmann
Dieter
D
Kamper
Martina
M
Sattler
Alexandra
A
von Laer
Dorothee
D
Klingebiel
Thomas
T
Lehrnbecher
Thomas
T
Koehl
Ulrike
U
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult