Abstract:

Objective

To investigate the variations of T lymphocytes, immunoglobulin and complements levels in peripheral blood in the patients with non-lactational mastitis.

Methods

Seventy-two patients with non-lactational mastitis and thirty healthy controls treated in Longhua Hosptial Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2010 to April 2011 were enrolled in this study. The expression levels of T lymphocytes (CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺, CD56⁺CD16⁺), immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM)and complements (C3, C4, B factor) were determined respectively. t test was used to analyze the immune indices between the two groups. One-way factor analysis of variance was performed to analyze the levels of T lymphocytes, immunoglobulins and complements in peripheral blood of non-lactational mastitis patients according to the age of onset, fertility status, inflammatory breast agglomerate area, and congenital malformations of nipples.

Results

The CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell levels were significantly lower in the patients with nonlactational mastitis than those in healthy controls (P＜0.050), while CD56⁺CD16⁺, IgM,C3, C4, B factors were significantly higher (P＜0.050). The levels of CD3⁺ T cells and,CD8⁺T cells in the patients at fertile peak age (25-34 years old) or at non-fertile peak age(21-24, 35-44 years old) were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (P＜0.050);C3 and B factor levels were higher than those in healthy controls (P＜0.050).The level of C4 in patients at fertile peak age (25-34 years old) was higher than that in healthy controls (P＜0.050).The level of CD3⁺T cell was effected by fertility status (P＜0.050).The level of CD4⁺T cells in the patients with disease onset ≤2 years after delivery was lower than that in healthy controls;The level of CD8⁺T cells in the patients who never give birth to children was lower than in healthy controls and in the patients with disease onset ≤2 years,in the patients > 2 years after delivery(P＜0.050). The level of CD8⁺ T cells in the patients with disease onset ≤2 years and > 2 years after delivery were lower than that in healthy controls(P＜0.050), while C3 level was higher than that in healthy controls (P＜0.050).The B factor level in the patients with disease onset > 2 years was higher than those of healthy control(P＜0.050). The level of CD3⁺T cells, CD4⁺T cells in the patients with inflammatory agglomerate area > 27.0 cm² were lower than those in the ones with the inflammatory agglomerate area ≤27 cm²(P＜0.050), and in healthy controls (P＜0.050),while the levels of CD56⁺CD16⁺NK cells, IgA, C4 and B factor were higher than the other two groups (P＜0.050),and the levels of CD8⁺T cells were lower than those of healthy controls (P＜0.050),the C3 level were higher than that of healthy controls (P＜0.050).The levels of CD3⁺T cells, CD8⁺T cells in the patients with inflammatory agglomerate area ≤27 cm² were lower than those of healthy controls (P＜0.050),while the C3 level were higher than that of healthy controls (P＜0.050). The levels of C3, B factor in the patients with congenital malformation of nipples were higher than those of healthy controls(P＜0.050).The levels of CD3⁺T cells, CD8⁺T cells in the patients without congenital malformation of nipples was were lower than those of healthy controls (P＜0.050), while the levels of C3,C4, B factor were higher than the later (P＜0.050). The levels of T lymphocytes,immunoglobulin and complements showed no difference in the two groups of patients with and without congenital malformation of nipples (P＜0.050).

Conclusion

Non-lactational mastitis patients have immune function disorder, and the severity of disorder is correlated with onset age, fertility status and inflammatory agglomerate area.

Key words: mastitis, T-lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, complement system proteins, non-lactational