Difference and significance of peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with chronic hepatitis B and asymptomatic HBV carriers

Objective: To investigate the difference of peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with chronic hepatitis B and asymptomatic HBV carriers, and to analyze the relationship between the pathogenesis of hepatitis B and the hosts' cellular immunity.

Methods: Flow cytometry was used to detect the peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets in 29 patients of chronic hepatitis B, 25 asymptomatic HBV carriers and 35 healthy blood donors.

Results: Compared with normal controls, the numbers of leucocytes, lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+CD28+ T cells and CD8+CD28+ T cells decreased in both the patients with chronic hepatitis B and asymptomatic HBV carriers, the number of NK cells of the patients with chronic hepatitis B decreased as well. Compared with normal controls and asymptomatic HBV carriers, the proportions of CD8+CD38+ T cells and CD4+CD45RA-memory T cells markedly increased and the proportion and number of CD4+CD45RA+62L+ T cells decreased in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Conclusions: There is an imbalance in peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets and turbulence in cellular immunity in the patients with chronic hepatitis B and asymptomatic HBV carriers, which may be associated with HBV persistent infection.