CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF UPPER AIRWAYS' LATENT INFECTION'S INFLUENCE FOR THE COURSE OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IN CHILDREN

Abstract

The study was based on the examination of 100 children (71 boy and 29 girls) aged 3–18 years with bronchial asthma in remission. The routine allergological examination was followed up by the immunohistochemical test of deep pharyngeal mucosal cells samples scraped to verify the Chlamydia pneumoniae, Cytomegalovirus hominis, HSV-1, HSV-2, EBV as well as by the bacterioscopic examination of pharyngeal causative and opportunistic pathogens. The immunological examination included evaluation of lymphocyte subpopulation (CD 3+, CD3+CD(16+56+)+ TNK cells, T helpers (CD3+CD4+), double-positive cells (CD4+CD8+), CD3-CD(16+56)+NK cells by means of flow cytometry. Measurements of spontaneous and induced cytokine production (IFN α, IFN γ, IL 4) were taken using the immune assay. The level of specific antibodies (Ig M, Ig G) to the relevant infectious agents in the serum was measured as well. These examinations demonstrated that children with bronchial asthma and latent infection of the upper respiratory tract have higher rates of bronchial hyperreactivity (86%) as well as more frequent (74,7%) uncontrolled or partially controlled course of asthma. According to the examination results, in children with broncial asthma and latent infection of the upper respiratory tract α-interferon induction is oppressed (74,7%), the IL4 in the serum is increased along with a shift of the immune response towards Th2, cytotoxic response is increased, TNK cells are increased (75,5%) with simultaneous decrease of NK cells.

Keywords

• bronchial asthma
• immunohistochemistry
• latent infection