Immunophenotype of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Patients with Burns

Severe immunosuppression occurs after large thermal burns and probably contributes substantially to patient morbidity and mortality. The mechanism of immunosuppression is much unknown. T lymphocyte subsets from 45 severely patients with burns and 35 healthy donors were analyzed using monoclonal antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence method. Compared to healthy donors, patients with burns have shown a profound reduction in relative number of CD3(+) lymphocytes during the 24-h period following injury, which was accompanied by a decrease in CD4 but not CD8 subsets. Activated lymphocytes, while determined by the expression of CD25, CD26 and CD71, were insignificantly increased in patients with burns. The expression HLA DR was insignificantly decreased on peripheral blood lymphocytes from thermally injured patients. Additionally, the significant decrease of CD95 antigen expression was observed in all patients with burns. Also, significant decrease of the luminescence intensity in all analyzed antigens was observed in patients with burns. Numerous positive correlations between CD3(+), CD8(+), CD25(+), CD26(+) and CD71(+) cells were revealed, especially during the first week after thermal trauma. We conclude that the thermal injury produces a profound relative CD3(+) and CD4(+) cell lymphopenia with signs of moderate lymphocyte activation.