The effect of COVID-19 infection on the course of chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract and the state of immunity. Message 1. The clinical course of chronic diseases of upper respiratory tract with different variants of contact of patients with coronavirus and the state of the basic parameters of immunity
Authors: Zabolotnyi Dmitry I. , Melnikov Oleg F. , Zabolotna Diana D. , Rylska Oksana G. , Smagina Tetyana V. , Peleshenko Natalia O. , Timchenko Мarina D. 
Published: July 2023

The purpose of the study: to determine the features of the clinical course of the chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract and the basic parameters of immunity in various variants of contact of patients with the coronavirus.
Material and methods: The clinical study was conducted during the end of 2021 and 2022. We examined 45 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, taking into account the transferred COVID-19 and vaccination against it. Among them, 15 patients did not suffer from COVID-19 and were not vaccinated against it (group I), 15 people with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, who did not suffer from COVID-19 and were vaccinated against it (Group II), 15 patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, who were sick with COVID 19 and were vaccinated against it (III gr.). All patients were divided into groups depending on the number of acute viral infections per year: 1-2 times per year, 3-4 times per year, 5-6 times per year, and by the number of episodes of exacerbations of chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract per year (1-2, 3-4, 5 times or more).
An immunological study of the following groups of patients was also carried out: I – patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, who did not suffer from COVID-19 and were not vaccinated against it (n=7); ІІ – patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, who did not suffer from COVID 19 and were vaccinated against it (n=12); ІІІ – pat ients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, who were sick with COVID 19 and were vaccinated against it (n=15) and a control group (n=32) – clinically healthy individuals who were examined before the very beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The relative number of leukocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, the relative number of
lymphocytes with markers CD3+, CD8+, CD20+
and immunoglobulins of the IgM, IgG, IgA classes were determined from the basic parameters of immunity.
Results: In patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract in the remission stage, the main symptoms of their disease were observed, but they were significantly more pronounced in patients who suffered from Covid-19 and were vaccinated against it. As a result of the comparison of clinical groups of patients, it was established that the frequency of acute respiratory viral infections was higher among those who were sick with Covid-19 and were vaccinated against it. In patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract who had contact with a coronavirus infection, trends to a decrease in the number of blood lymphocytes, CD3+and CD8+ T-lymphocytes and an increase in the concentration of class M immunoglobulin were determined in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract who had contact with a coronavirus infection and were vaccinated against it. Thus, corona virus infection, especially in combination with vaccination, can negatively affect the state of the basic parameters of immunity.