[Study on the variation characteristics of serum lymphocyte subsets, immunoglobulins, and complement levels in...

Objective: To analyze the variations of serum lymphocyte subsets, immunoglobulins, and complement levels in patients with cheilitis, and to explore the associations between the changes in serum immune levels and the onset of cheilitis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 153 patients with cheilitis who visited the Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to December 2023. They were compared with 50 healthy individuals who visited the physical examination department during the same period. The changes of serum lymphocyte subsets, immunoglobulins, and complement levels in patients with cheilitis were analyzed. Main detection indicators as the percentage of total T lymphocytes (T%), helper/inducer T lymphocytes (CD4⁺T%), absolute numbers of total T lymphocytes (T#), absolute numbers of helper/inducer T lymphocytes (CD4⁺T#), percentage of natural killer cells (NK%), absolute numbers of B lymphocytes (B#), immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and complement C3, C4 were included. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between serum lymphocyte subsets, immunoglobulins, complement levels and cheilitis. Subgroup analysis was further conducted on patients with cheilitis based on gender, age, cheilitis type and severity. Results: The levels of T% [69.54% (64.41%, 75.14%)], CD4⁺T% [(35.09±7.10)%], T# [1 328.00 (1 054.00, 1 560.50)], and CD4⁺T# [653.00 (505.00, 831.50)] in the cheilitis group were significantly lower than those in the control group respectively [72.33% (69.41%, 75.47%), (39.07±5.84)%, 1 483.50 (1 245.75, 1 805.25), 769.00 (687.25, 933.00), with the corresponding statistical test results of Z=-2.64, P=0.008; t=3.58, P<0.001; Z=-2.80, P=0.005; Z=-3.80, P<0.001]. The level of NK% [16.21% (12.16%, 21.29%)] was significantly higher in the cheilitis group compared to the control group [14.61% (10.97%, 17.87%)] (Z=-2.28, P=0.023). IgG [12.29 (10.77, 13.73) g/L] and IgM levels [1.18 (0.86, 1.58) g/L] were significantly higher in the cheilitis group than in the control group respectively [11.52 (10.16, 12.91) g/L, 0.99 (0.77, 1.26) g/L] (Z=-2.24, P=0.025; Z=-2.10, P=0.036), while complement C3 [(1.09±0.17) g/L] and C4 levels [0.23 (0.19, 0.28) g/L] were significantly lower in the cheilitis group compared to the control [(1.18±0.17) g/L, 0.31(0.24, 0.35) g/L] (t=3.10, P=0.002; Z=-4.79, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated IgG (P=0.021), decreased C4 (P<0.001), decreased CD4⁺T% (P=0.003), and decreased T# (P=0.035) were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of cheilitis. The rate of abnormal lymphocyte immune analysis in the cheilitis group [68.0% (104/153)] was significantly higher than that in the control group [24.0% (12/50)] (χ²=29.76, P<0.001). The rate of abnormal immunoglobulin and complement detection in the cheilitis group [41.8% (64/153)] was significantly higher than that in the control group [4.0% (2/50)] (χ²=24.58, P<0.001). The rate of detection abnormalities in female patients with cheilitis [51.5% (53/103)] was significantly higher than in male ones [22.0% (11/50)] (χ²=12.00, P=0.001). Patients with granulomatous cheilitis had significantly lower levels of T# [1 136.50 (663.75, 1 310.50)] and B# [162.50 (104.00, 225.50)] compared to those with chronic cheilitis [1 366.00 (1 063.03, 1 602.00), 202.48 (148.00, 298.00)] (Z=-2.35, P=0.019; Z=-2.16, P=0.031). Conclusions: Patients with cheilitis exhibit a certain degree of imbalance on cellular immunity, humoral immunity, and innate immunity, which may be related to the onset of cheilitis.