Identification of immune status subtypes and prognostic analysis of septic patients based on Th1/Th2 cytokine assays

Sepsis patients exhibit diverse immune states, making it crucial to identify subtypes with distinct inflammatory profiles through Th1/Th2 cytokine data for personalized treatment and improved prognosis.

We retrieved data from sepsis patients who underwent Th1/Th2 cytokine testing in Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University from June 1, 2020, to February 1, 2022. An unsupervised K-means clustering method classified participants based on Th1/Th2 cytokine levels, with the primary outcome being the 7-day mortality rate post-ICU admission. Cox proportional hazards and Restricted Mean Survival Time (RMST) analyses were utilized to explore survival outcomes.

A total of 321 sepsis patients were included. IL-6 (HR 1.69, 95%CI: 1.22, 2.34) and IL-10 (HR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.37, 2.40) emerged as independent predictors of 7-day mortality. Unsupervised K-means clustering revealed 3 inflammatory/immune subgroups: Cluster 1 (n=166, low inflammatory response), Cluster 2 (n=99, moderate inflammatory response with immune suppression), and Cluster 3 (n=56, strong inflammatory and immune suppression). Compared to Cluster 1, Clusters 2 and 3 had higher 7-day mortality risks (14.4% vs 23.2%, HR=4.30, 95% CI: 1.51-12.26; 14.4% vs 35.7%, HR=7.32, 95% CI: 2.57-20.79).

Septic patients in a protective immune response state (Cluster 1) exhibit better short-term prognoses, suggesting the importance of understanding inflammatory/immune states for precise treatment and improved outcomes.