FEATURES OF THE HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WITH DISORDERS OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN THE POST-COVID PERIOD

Abstract

Intensive research is currently underway on the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the human body. One of the often-found consequences of such exposure is endocrine dysfunction. It has been previously shown that the detected hyperglycemia in patients infected with SARS-COV-2 is due to the consequences of direct damage by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, activation of the immune system and inflammation, as well as the consequences of the use of glucocorticosteroids. Changes in adaptive immunity are characteristic of both hyperglycemia and post-COVID syndrome. Of interest is the combination of these conditions, namely, the development of hyperglycemia in the post-COVID period and the resulting humoral immune response. This study is devoted to identifying the features of B-cell immunity in individuals with post-COVID syndrome and disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. The study included 72 people with carbohydrate metabolism disorders in the post-COVID period. In patients, the lymphocytic link of immunity was assessed: the relative and absolute number of B-lymphocytes (CD45+CD19+), B1-lymphocytes (CD45+CD5+CD19-CD27-), B2-lymphocytes (CD45+CD19+CD5-CD27-), general population Memory B cells (CD45+CD19+CD5-CD27+). In post-covid patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, more significant changes in the B-cell link were revealed in comparison with patients with impaired glucose tolerance, including a statistically significant increase in the number of B-lymphocytes. Also, in the group of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the number of B2-lymphocytes is significantly higher in the absence of differences in the levels of B1-lymphocytes, which is possibly characteristic of the autoimmune nature of the diseases, and is associated with the secretion of high-affinity antibodies, which presumably explains the more severe clinical course of COVID-19 in the study group. At the same time, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the number of B1- and B2-lymphocytes of memory cells is significantly lower compared to patients with impaired glucose tolerance in the post-COVID period, which suggests the ineffectiveness of the formed immune response, which confirms more frequent repeated cases. COVID-19 in this group of patients.