Now that the absolute lymphocyte value has been calculated, the results from the flow cytometric analysis can be incorporated as follows:
Values from the flow cytometer analysis
- %CD3= 60% (CD3 positivity reflects total T cell percentage)
- %CD4= 40% (CD4 positivity reflects T-helper cell percentage)
- %CD8= 20% (CD8 positivity reflects cytotoxic T cell percentage)
*Note that 60% CD3 (total mature T cells) is further broken down into 40% CD4 (T-helper cells) + 20 % CD8 (cytotoxic T cells)
By using the following calculation, the absolute (Abs) cell CD marker populations = Abs lymphocytes x % CD (as decimal)
For Example:
AbsCD3= 750 x 0.60 = 450 cells/mcL
AbsCD4= 750 x 0.40 = 300 cells/mcL
AbsCD8= 750 x 0.20 = 150 cells/mcL
CD4:CD8 ratio= 40/20 = 2.0
