Relationship of influenza virus to inflammatory factors and immune function in elderly patients with COPD: A retrospective analysis.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the relevance of influenza A virus (IAV) in acutely exacerbating airway inflammatory response and disrupting immune function in elderly COPD patients.

Methods: The group conducted a pre-test: using multiplex combined real-time PCR detection kits Multiple real⁃time PCR was used to detect twenty-four pathogens, 385 patients clinically diagnosed with COPD were tested for viral nucleic acid in throat swabs. At the same time, peripheral blood leukapheresis was collected from both groups of patients, and their IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels were detected, along with the levels of T-cell differentiation markers CD4 and CD8, to assess the influence of influenza virus on the immune function of elderly COPD patients and its relevance to the acute exacerbation of airway inflammatory response in elderly COPD patients.

Results: Results showed that the expression of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α was significantly higher in the viral group compared with the non-infected group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The levels of T cell differentiation type markers CD4 and CD8 were significantly lower in the infected group compared with the uninfected group.

Conclusion: Influenza virus further exacerbated airway inflammatory response and decreased the immune function of T cells by activating intrinsic immune molecules such as IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α.