The Relationship Between Decreased CD-8 T-Cells and Mortality in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit, A Retrospective Study.

Objective: CD-8 T-cells are responsible for the clearance of virally infected cells. In patients with Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, there are quantitative reductions and functional impairments in T-cells. Low CD-8 T-cell levels cause worse clinical situations. In this study, the relationship between decreased CD-8 T-cells and mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in the intensive care unit (ICU) was investigated.

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, 277 patients were analyzed. Demographic data, ICU admission scores, blood gas levels, laboratory samples, and outcomes were recorded. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 28 was used for statistical analysis.

Results: Two hundred forty of 277 patients were included in the study. The mortality rate was 43.3%. In non-survivors, median values of age, Charlson comorbidity index, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II), procalcitonin, leukocyte count, neutrophil count, neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio, and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation were significantly higher, whereas median values of PaO₂-FiO₂ ratio, lymphocyte count, CD-4, and CD-8 T-cells were significantly lower than those in survivors. In the multivariate Cox regression model, the risk of mortality increased 1.04-fold (1.02-1.06) and 1.05-fold (1.01-10.8) by every one unit increase in age and APACHE-II, respectively, whereas it decreased 0.71-fold (0.58-0.87) by every hundred increase in CD-8 T-cells P < 0.001, P=0.007 and P=0.001 respectively.

Conclusion: According to our findings, age, APACHE-II, and CD-8 T-cell levels seem to be independent risk factors for mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in the ICU.