Clinical utility of measuring CD4⁺ T follicular cells in patients with immune dysregulation.

ABSTRACT: Mechanistic studies of autoimmune disorders have identified circulating T follicular helper (cTfh) cells as drivers of autoimmunity. However, the quantification of cTfh cells is not yet used in clinical practice due to the lack of age-stratified normal ranges and the unknown sensitivity and specificity of this test for autoimmunity. We enrolled 238 healthy participants and 130 patients with common and rare disorders of autoimmunity or autoinflammation. Patients with infections, active malignancy, or any history of transplantation were excluded. In 238 healthy controls, median cTfh percentages (range 4.8%-6.2%) were comparable among age groups, sexes, races, and ethnicities, apart from a significantly lower percentages in children less than 1 year of age (median 2.1%, CI: 0.4%-6.8, p < 0.00

SUBMITTER: LaBere B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10839119 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature