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Peripheral CD3+CD4+ T cells as indicators of disease activity in thyroid eye disease: age-dependent significance

  • Inflammatory Disorders
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Abstract

Purpose

To provide an in-depth analysis of the association of peripheral lymphocytes and the disease activity of thyroid eye disease (TED).

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 65 active TED patients and 46 inactive TED patients. Comparative analyses of peripheral lymphocyte subsets were conducted between active and inactive patients. Subgroup analyses were performed based on sex, age, disease duration, and severity. Correlation analyses explored the associations between lymphocyte subsets and TED activity indicators. Prediction models for TED activity were established using objective indicators.

Results

Significantly elevated levels of CD3+CD4+ T cells were observed in active TED patients compared to inactive patients (P = 0.010). Subgroup analyses further revealed that this disparity was most prominent in females (P = 0.036), patients aged 50 years and younger (P = 0.003), those with long-term disease duration (P = 0.022), and individuals with moderate-to-severe disease (P = 0.021), with age exerting the most substantial impact. Subsequent correlation analysis confirmed the positive association between CD3+CD4+ T cells and the magnetic resonance imaging indicator of TED activity among patients aged 50 years and younger (P = 0.038). The combined prediction models for TED activity, established using objective indicators including CD3+CD4+ T cells, yielded areas under curve of 0.786 for all patients and 0.816 for patients aged 50 years and younger.

Conclusions

Peripheral CD3+CD4+ T cells are associated with disease activity of TED, especially in patients aged 50 years and younger. Our study has deepened the understanding of the peripheral T cell profiles in TED patients.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81930024, 82071003, 82271122 and 82201235); the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai (20DZ2270800); Shanghai Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai Eye Disease Research Center (2022ZZ01003); Clinical Acceleration Program of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (JYLJ202202); the Project of Hospital Management from Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (YGA202303).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Haiyang Zhang, Lianfei Fang, Yumeng Cheng, Yuhang Peng, Hui Wang, Yinwei Li, Sijie Fang, Huifang Zhou, Jing Sun & Xuefei Song

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China

    Haiyang Zhang, Lianfei Fang, Yumeng Cheng, Yuhang Peng, Hui Wang, Yinwei Li, Sijie Fang, Huifang Zhou, Jing Sun & Xuefei Song

  3. Department of Radiology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Mengda Jiang & Ling Zhu

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  1. Haiyang Zhang
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Haiyang Zhang and Xuefei Song; Methodology: Haiyang Zhang; Validation: Xuefei Song and Lianfei Fang; Formal analysis: Lianfei Fang, Hui Wang, Mengda Jiang, and Ling Zhu; Writing-original draft preparation: Haiyang Zhang, Lianfei Fang, and Yumeng Cheng; Writing – Review & Editing: Xuefei Song, Jing Sun, Huifang Zhou, and Sijie Fang; Visualization: Lianfei Fang and Yuhang Peng; Resources: Jing Sun, Yinwei Li, Ling Zhu, and Huifang Zhou; Supervision: Huifang Zhou, Xuefei Song, and Jing Sun. Project administration: Xuefei Song. We thank Mr. Zhenhua Zhang for his help in collecting clinical data of the subjects.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Huifang Zhou, Jing Sun or Xuefei Song.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Shanghai, China) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was waived in this retrospective study with the approval of the institutional review board of our hospital (SH9H-2022-T161-2).

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Haiyang Zhang and Lianfei Fang are the co-first authors that have equal contributions.

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Zhang, H., Fang, L., Cheng, Y. et al. Peripheral CD3+CD4+ T cells as indicators of disease activity in thyroid eye disease: age-dependent significance. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-024-06496-9

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