Lmyphocytic subpopulations in the exacerbations of respiratory tract infections of patients with COPD

Objective Peripheral blood T lymphocyte subpopulations of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalized at the 3rd clinic of Yedikule Thoracic Diseases Hospital with a clinical picture of respiratory tract infection were measured. Method Measurements were performed by flow cytometric method. CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 results were compared with values accepted to be normal by employing student-t test. Results Ten of our cases (76.9%) possessed a CD4 percentage of over normal value. Median value was found to be 36.43. In 11 of our cases (84.6%) a CD8 percentage of over normal value was detected. Median value was 31.45. Ten of our cases (76.9%) had a CD4/CD8 value of over normal. Median value was 1.07. CD4 levels and percentages of our patients with COPD were found to be significantly high at p= 0.039 level compared to normals. CD8 percentages, however were found to be significantly high at p=0.001 compared to normals, whereas CD4/CD8 ratio did not manifest any significance compared to normals. Conclusion Our findings determined the increase in T cells following antigenic stimulus in exacerbation of respiratory tract infections in patients with COPD.