DETERMINATION OF LYMPHOCYTLE PROFILE IN HEALTTHY ADULTS OF THE CITY OF NATAL-RN, THROUGH CLUSTER ANALYSIS
Lymphocyte Subpopulation; Healthy Adults; Cluster Analysis
Introduction: The percentages of B and T lymphocytes as well as the TCD4 and TCD8 subpopulations are used to evaluate the functional status of the immune system and / or prognosis of some clinical situations. NK cells share some functions and cell surface markers with macrophages and T lymphocytes. The objective of this study was to identify lymphocyte profiles in healthy adults using cluster analysis. Methods: The peripheral blood samples were submitted to immunophenotyping by flow cytometry using a specific panel to evaluate the lymphocyte profile: B (CD19 +), T (CD3 +), T (CD3+/CD4+, CD3+/CD8+) subpopulations and NK cells (CD16+ and / or CD56+). The multivariate statistical cluster analysis technique was used by the non-hierarchical method of k-means, so that the data could reflect the inherent biological variability of the studied population. Results: The sample consisted of 134 healthy adults enrolled in Hemonorte / RN in the period from 2012 to 2014. This sample consisted of 37 (27.61%), women and 97 (72.39%) men, respectively, with a mean age and the highest prevalence in white skin color was 33.9 ± 8.05 / 35 (94.6%) and 33.30 ± 8.12 / 70 (72.2%). Three lymphocyte profiles were found and the lymphocyte counts and their subpopulations were analyzed for these groups according to gender. The first one presented its lowest means among the three groups, the second one characterized by intermediate values at intermediate level and the third one being composed by higher average values. Conclusion: The cluster analysis allowed to create three lymphocyte profiles