Objective:

To characterize immune function alterations in children with EBV-associated infectious mononucleosis (IM) and evaluate the diagnostic performance of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and cytokine profiles, both individually and in combination.

Approach:

Key Findings:

• 61 children with IM and 32 healthy controls were enrolled.
• The predominant clinical manifestations in the IM group included fever (88.9%), pharyngitis (92.1%), lymphadenopathy (85.7%), tonsillar hypertrophy (90.4%), and periorbital edema (33.3%).
• IM group showed significantly elevated white blood cell counts, absolute lymphocyte counts, and hepatic transaminases compared to controls (P < 0.05).
• Significant changes in lymphocyte subsets: increased total lymphocytes, CD3 T cells, and CD8 T cells; decreased CD4%, CD4/CD8 ratio, and CD19% (P < 0.05).
• Cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-, IFN-, IL-17, IFN-, IL-12p70) were significantly elevated in the IM group (P < 0.05).
• ROC analysis showed high diagnostic performance for combined lymphocyte subset analysis (AUC=0.995) and combined cytokine assessment (AUC=0.980).

Interpretation:

Pediatric IM is characterized by profound immune activation, with significant alterations in lymphocyte subsets and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Limitations:

• Study limited to a specific time frame and location.
• Potential selection bias in the enrollment of healthy controls.

Conclusion:

Combined assessment of lymphocyte subsets and cytokines significantly enhances diagnostic accuracy for pediatric IM.

Attribution Notice

This content is an AI-generated, fully rewritten summary based on a published scholarly article. It does not reproduce the original text and is not a substitute for the original publication. Readers are encouraged to consult the source for full context, data, and methodology.