Reduced naïve and increased effector and increased cytotoxic and exhausted CD4+T cells in the hospitalized group
Assessment of CD4+ T cells maturation and differentiation stages has revealed a significantly higher increase in the total naïve (CD45RA+CCR7+) CD4+T cells in the non-hospitalized group with a median of 32.75% (IQR 23.51-39.50) compared to 5.40% (14.99-36.88) -39.50) in the hospitalized group (p = 0.034). This increase was mirrored by the increase in the naïve (CD27+CD28+ CD45RA+CCR7+) CD4+ T cells subsets with a median of 99.48% (IQR98.90-99.71) vs. 99.00% (IQR 97.15-99.67) in the non-hospitalized group compared to the admitted group respectively (p = 0.021) (Table 3). On the other hand, there was an expansion of effector CD4+T cells in hospitalized patients compared to non-hospitalized patients. These patients had a higher frequency of exhausted (PD-1+CD57-) CD4+ T cells with a median of 17.59 % (IQR 14.16-23.48) vs .13.63% (IQR 10.24-18.20), (p =0.001) and exhausted cytotoxic (PD1+CD57+CD4+) CD4+ T cells with a median of 5.48% (IQR 1.66-12.89) compared to 2.97% (IQR 1.56-5.98) the non-hospitalized patients (p =0.039) (Table 3).