Fig. 4

Measurements of immune cells over time. A decline in absolute lymphocyte count as well as all lymphocyte subgroups was observed within the first month of treatment (total lymphocyte count, part A; NK cell count, part B; CD4⁺ T cell count, part C; CD8 + T cell count, part D; B cell count, part E), with significant differences in absolute lymphocyte count (p ≤ 0.001), CD4⁺ T (p ≤ 0.001), CD8⁺ T (p ≤ 0.01) and B cells (p ≤ 0.01). In the following months of treatment, an increase in lymphocyte count occurred but remained below baseline (part A). CD4⁺ T cells remained significantly below baseline throughout the first 9 months (part C). B cells stayed significantly below baseline throughout the first 3 months (part E). NK cells, natural killer cells