Asthma, Allergy and Immunology

Biography

Biography: Agata Wawrzyniak

Abstract

Introduction: There has been an increase incidence of allergic diseases over the past several decades. For this reason, potentially modifiable factors that may influence the on immunological processes should be sought.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of ETS on the immune response in asthma: Blood lymphocyte phenotype (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD16/56, CD3 anti HLA-DR), T-regulatory (Treg) percentage and cytokine profile (anti-inflammatory: IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β and proinflammatory: IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-22, TNF and IFN).

Material & Methods: The study group consisted of 43 children with stable atopic asthma. The control group consisted of 37 children without atopic disease. ETS was assessed by measuring urinary cotinine concentration by ELISA. The phenotype of peripheral blood lymphocytes, percentage of Treg and interleukin concentration were determined by the cytometric method.

Results: The following results were obtained; higher levels of cytokine IL-1 and lower IL-4 were observed in children with asthma ETS (+) compared to children with asthma ETS (-) (respectively 0.40±0.58 pg/ml vs. 0.08±0.24 pg/ml, p=0.02; 1.19±0.72 pg/ml vs. 0.68±0.77 pg/ml, p=0.04). In the control group, higher levels of IL-4 were found in children ETS (+) compared to children ETS (-) (4.84±8.9 pg/ml vs. 1.53±0.8 pg/ml, p=0.05). Lower percentage of Treg were found in children with asthma ETS (+) compared to healthy children ETS (+) (0.68%±0.31 pg/ml vs. 1.02±0.43 pg/ml; p=0.03).

Conclusion: Exposure to tobacco smoke has immunomodulatory effects; exposure to tobacco smoke in children with asthma may be associated with the development of worse prognostic neutrophilic inflammation. Exposure to tobacco smoke of healthy children may be associated with the development of eosinophilic inflammation, which in the future may lead to allergies.