Age-Related Lymphocyte Subset Changes in the Peripheral Blood of Healthy Children – a Meta-Study

Abstract

Immunophenotyping is an important diagnostic tool for decision making in various diseases. Although clinical interpretation relies on measurable aberrations of the patient’s values from normal ranges, agedependent are rarely available. Materials and Methods: The present study is aimed to combine published data about normal values of peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations to describe age-dependent changes from the neonate to the adult. These values could serve in a better way as normal values in comparison to present ones. Furthermore, this investigation allows us to define valid data even for short periods in children’s life and to investigate the influence of technical approaches, sample preparation, antibody selection, measurement equipment, and data analysis. Results: Development-related alterations of lymphocyte subset counts in children could be extracted from the pre-existing papers for diagnostic use. These results were mostly independent from gender, ethnic factors, procedure of sample collection, anticoagulation, pre-analytical procedures, time to workbench, applied method for immunophenotyping, staining procedure, selected monoclonal antibodies, technical devices, and software products. Conclusion: Our data indicate that previous normal values are not sufficiently precise for the interpretation of lymphocyte subsets in children. Mainly during the 1st year of life, count and subset distribution of lymphocytes is different from that of adults. Therefore, a close meshed data set of normal values is required to guarantee adequate diagnostic interpretation.

Modulation of the cellular and humoral immune response to pediatric open heart surgery by methylprednisolone

“…The 3m samples were obtained at average 9 months after the surgery. At an age similar to our study group normal maturation leads to a decrease in B-cell count (44,45). Therefore, this decrease may be due to normal age related changes.…”

Refining the white blood cell differential: The first flow cytometry routine application

“…Of note the choice of thresholds will dramatically impact the amount of failed analyses by flow, although they should be adapted to the specificity and the sample population of each laboratory. Indeed, as an example, our higher cut-off for B lymphocytes were different between adults (0.48 3 10 9 /l) and children (3.03 3 10 9 /l) and have to be adapted to each laboratory and calculated on larger cohorts (22,23).…”

Dynamics of lymphocyte subsets in children living in an area polluted by polychlorinated biphenyls

“…The development from neonate to adult massively influences the composition of peripheral blood leukocytes as well as that of the lymphocytes. Counts and subset distribution of lymphocytes in children are different from that in adults, with all lymphocyte subsets undergoing substantial dynamic change in the first year of life (Sack et al, 2007). Moreover it has been demonstrated that relative percentages of CD19 + B-lymphocytes increase during the first 5 months of life, and remain stable until ≈ age 5-years (followed by a gradual decrease to adulthood).…”