Th17, rather than Th1 cell proportion, is closely correlated with elevated disease severity, higher inflammation level, and worse prognosis in sepsis patients

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 proportions in sepsis patients. METHODS: T cells were detected by flow cytometry in 210 sepsis patients and 100 healthy controls (HCs). Besides, serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels in the enrolled sepsis patients were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with HCs, Th1 and Th17 proportions were elevated in sepsis patients (both p < .001). Meanwhile, Th1 proportion was strongly correlated with IFN-γ (p < .001, r = .484) but weakly correlated with TNF-α (p = .024, r = .156) and IL-17 (p = .002, r = .212), while Th17 proportion showed faint correlation with IFN-γ (p = .015, r = .168), but strong correlations with TNF-α (p < .001, r = .602) and IL-17 (p < .001, r = .498) in sepsis patients. Besides, Th1 proportion was weakly associated with APACHE II score (p = .030, r = .150), but Th17 proportion was closely associated with APACHE II score (p < .001, r = .322) and SOFA score (p < .001, r = .337) in sepsis patients. Regarding their prognostic value, Th1 proportion (p = .042) was slightly, while Th17 proportion (p < .001) was dramatically, increased in septic deaths compared with survivors, and Th17 possessed good predictive value for 28-day mortality risk (AUC: 0.748, 95% CI: 0.659-0.836). CONCLUSION: Th1 and Th17 proportions are elevated in sepsis patients compared with HCs, and Th17 proportion is correlated with increased disease severity, higher inflammation level, and worse prognosis in sepsis patients.

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