Values of lymphocyte subpopulations in healthy Macedonian children under the age of five

Abstract

Background: The effects of demographic factors on a wide range of immunological variables demonstrate the importance of having normative data representative of particular patient population. There was no lymphocyte subpopulation data for Macedonian children and the purpose of this study was to establish such a data. Subject and methods: The study population consists of 87 healthy children. Subjects were grouped into four age categories as follows: group 1 age range 5d-10d (n=15); group 2 age range 1 mo-1 yr (n=18); group 3 age 1yr-2 yr(n=20) and group 4 age 2yr-5 yr(n=34 Monoclonal antibodies labeled with fluorochromes and immunofluorescent microscopy were used to detect cells bearing specific cell markers. Results: The mean lymphocyte cell count gradually fell with increasing age from 6,65x10^9/l in group 1, to 5,67x10^9/l in group 2, 4,55x10^9/l in group 3, and to 4,14x10^9/l in group 4. Absolute values of CD3, CD4 and CD20 positive cells decreased gradually with age. Significant differences in mean absolute values were observed for absolute lymphocyte counts between groups 1/2 and 1/4 (P<0,01) and groups 2/4(P<0,05); for CD3 positive lymphocytes between groups 1/3(P<0,05) and 1/4(P<0,01); for CD4 positive lymphocytes between groups 1/3 (P<0,05) and 1/4(P<0,01) and for CD20 positive lymphocytes between groups 1/3 and 3/4(P<0,05) and groups 1/4 (P<0,01). Significant difference for CD4/CD8 ratio and for percentage values of different lymphocyte subpopulations between the different age groups was not found. Conclusion: This data may serve as a reference range for studies of Macedonian pediatric subjects.