Correlation analysis of the peripheral blood lymphocyte count and occurrence of pneumonia after lung transplantation

• Published in: Transplant immunology 2023-06, Vol.78, p.101822-101822, Article 101822
• Main Authors: He, Xing, Luo, Zeli, Han, Yicen, Yu, Jia, Fang, Siyu, Guo, Lu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Humans; Infection; Lung Transplantation; Lymphocyte Count; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Bacterial - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Bacterial - etiology; Retrospective Studies; T lymphocytes; T-Lymphocyte Subsets
• ISSN: 0966-3274; 1878-5492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2023.101822

Infections are the most common complication in patients after lung transplantation and the main cause of death at all stages after transplantation; therefore, awareness regarding the occurrence of infectious pneumonia after lung transplantation is vital. This study aimed to explore the correlation between the absolute lymphocyte and T-lymphocyte subpopulation counts in the peripheral blood and the occurrence of pneumonia after lung transplantation and to predict the risk of pneumonia development after lung transplantation. Patients who underwent lung transplantation with long-term follow-up between June 2018 and December 2021 were prospectively included. The patients were divided into pneumonia and non-pneumonia groups. Demographic and clinical characteristics, and the levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, platelets, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), serum albumin, peripheral blood T lymphocytes, and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood were measured in both groups. We included 22 patients with post-lung transplants in the analysis. Of the 104 collected samples, 26 (56.5%) were pathogenically positive, 16 (61.5%) had bacterial infections, 7 samples (26.9%) had fungal infections, and 8 (30.8%) had viral infections. Patients with pneumonia had higher levels of peripheral blood neutrophils (P = 0.01), platelets (P = 0.03), and CRP (P