Source: Annual Congress 2001 - Immune deficiencies and the lung in childhood
Disease area: Paediatric lung diseases

Abstract

RRTIs are the most common causes of physician visits and hospitalisation in children, and are responsible for significant morbidity, as well as mortality. Although antibiotics and other medications generally cause remission of the immediate infection, they do not always prevent recurrences.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunological status of patients with RRTIs (more than six upper respiratory tract infections or more than three lower respiratory tract infections per year), during a period of clinical remission and off all medications for at least 2 weeks.
The following investigations were carried out in a cohort of patients (pts) aged 8 mo-14 yrs, 66% males: IgG, IgA, IgM serum concentration (80 pts), IgG subclasses (89 pts), lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19, 92 pts), phagocytosis and radical oxygen intermediates production(90 pts). 12 patients (16%) had a serum Ig deficiency: 7 IgM, 5 IgA (3 with total deficiency), 2 IgG (2 pts with combined deficiency). 12 pts (14%) had a total IgG2 deficiency, one a partial deficiency; 4 of these patients (5%) had a phagocytosis or a radical oxygen intermediate production defect. A lymphocyte subpopulations deficiency was detected in 13 pts (14%): 7 CD8, 6 CD16.
In conclusion, a discrete percentage of children with RRTIs, even if in clinical remission, presented a serum humoral and cell-mediate immunity deficit. These results are important in making clinical decisions and in debating the use of immunotherapy, since any diagnostic delay, also of less severe defects, may expose the patients to chronic organ deterioration, such as chronic lung disease.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
M. Canciani, V. Gregorutti, M. Don, P. Melli, A. Tenore (Udine, Italy). Immunity evaluation in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs). Eur Respir J 2001; 16: Suppl. 31, 3433

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