Analysis of changes in the expression levels of peripheral blood immunoregulatory T Lymphocytes in children with bronchial asthma accompanied by recurrent infection

Objectives: To investigate the changes in the expression levels of peripheral blood immunoregulatory T lymphocytes in children with bronchial asthma accompanied by recurrent infection.

Methods: Eighty children with bronchial asthma admitted to the Third Outpatient Department of General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from January 2017 to January 2019 were retrospectively selected and divided into two groups according to whether they had recurrent infection: the asthma group (n=49) and the recurrent infection group (n=31). Another 40 children in the same age group who had a health checkup or a surgical hospital preoperative examination were selected as the control group. Peripheral venous blood of each group was taken to measure the expression levels of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+), and regulatory T cells (Treg) and helper T lymphocytes (Th1, Th2, Th17) in CD4+ subsets were detected at the same time. Moreover, Th1/Th2 values were calculated, and the levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and interleukin-21 (IL-21) were measured.

Results: The expression levels of CD3+ lymphocyte subsets were similar among the recurrent infection group, the asthma group, and the control group (P>0.05), and there were statistically significant differences in CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte subsets among the three groups (P<0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed in Treg, Th1, Th2, Th17 and Th1/Th2 values among the recurrent infection group, asthma group and control group (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+<0.05), and the expression levels of IL-4, IL-17 and IL-21 in the three groups also showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05).