title: [Changes of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of patients with hepatitis C].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatitis C.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 219 patients with hepatitis C and 66 healthy individuals served as normal controls were enrolled in the study. The proportions of T-lymphocytes (CD45(+)CD3(+), CD45(+)CD3(+)CD4(+), CD45(+)CD3(+)CD8(+)), B-lymphocytes (CD45(+)CD3(-)CD19(+)), NK-lymphocyte (CD45(+)CD3(-)CD16(+)56(+)) in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The count of peripheral lymphocyte subsets of patients with hepatitis C decreased from the stage of chronic infection to decompensated cirrhosis. The numbers of CD4(+), CD8(+)and NK lymphocytes of patients with chronic hepatitis C were significantly lower than those in healthy individuals (P<0.05). In the early and decompensated stage of hepatic cirrhosis, the numbers of lymphocyte subsets of patients were significantly lower than those in patients with chronic hepatitis C (P<0.01), and they were significantly lower in decompensated cirrhosis than in early cirrhosis (P<0.01). The proportion of B lymphocyte and CD4/CD8 ratio of patients increased from chronic infection to decompensated cirrhosis. Compared with chronic infection, the proportion of B lymphocyte and CD4/CD8 ratio in early and decompensated cirrhosis increased significantly (P<0.01 or P<0.05), while the proportion of NK lymphocyte was significantly reduced (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From the stage of chronic infection to decompensated cirrhosis, patients with hepatitis C were found with the decreased numbers of CD4(+)T, CD8(+) T and NK lymphocytes, and the increased proportion of B lymphocyte and CD4/CD8 ratio.
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Wenwen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Research and Treatment Center, 302 Military Hospital of China, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Dagang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Tongsheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Army Center for Clinical Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Center for Clinical Laboratory, Beijing 100039, China.
authors.forename: Yuanli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult