The Proportion of Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Meta-Analysis

Table 2

Subgroup analysis based on different definitions of Tregs in PB of patients with AS.

Definition of Tregs	Number of studies	Test of association			Test of heterogeneity		Egger’s test
		SMD	95% CI	value		value		value
Single CD25-positive	6	0.736	(0.138, 1.334)	0.016	80.7%	<0.001	0.72	0.513
CD4^+CD25^+	1	0.846	(0.401, 1.291)	<0.001	–	–	–	–
CD4^+CD25^high	4	0.892	(−0.078, 1.862)	0.071	87%	<0.001	2.74	0.112
CD4^+CD25^bright	1	0.123	(−0.596, 0.842)	0.737	–	–	–	–
Associated with FOXP3-positive	18	−1.004	(−1.966, −0.042)	0.041	97.9%	<0.001	0.97	0.795
CD4^+FOXP3^+	3	0.383	(−0.663, 1.429)	0.473	90.4%	<0.001	−11.62	0.143
CD4^+CD25^+FOXP3^+	9	−2.856	(−4.645, −1.066)	0.002	98.6%	<0.001	6.06	0.42
CD4^+CD25^highFOXP3^+	3	0.868	(−0.756, 2.492)	0.295	92.6%	<0.001	2.91	0.862
CD4^+CD25^low/−FOPX3^+	3	0.683	(0.161, 1.206)	0.01	68.4%	0.042	9.58	0.783
Associated with CD127-negative	4	−1.003	(−1.713, −0.294)	0.006	73.1%	0.011	−0.37	0.747
CD4^+CD25^highCD127^low/−	1	−1.812	(−2.648, −0.977)	<0.001	–	–	–	–
CD4^+CD25^+CD127^low	2	−1.12	(−1.605, −0.635)	<0.001	0.0%	0.486	–	–
CD4^+CD25^+CD127^−	1	−0.004	(−0.751, 0.744)	0.992	–	–	–	–

PB: peripheral blood; AS: ankylosing spondylitis; SMD: standard mean difference; CI: confidence interval; : -squared index. Magnitude of Cohen’s effect size (SMD): 0.2–0.5, small effect; 0.5–0.8, medium effect; and ≥0.8, large effect.