Interleukin-12 Peripheral Blood Levels in Asthmatic Children

• Main Authors: Soferman Ruth, Rosenzwig Idit, Fireman Elizabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2007-12-01
• Series: Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology
• Subjects: asthma; family history; IL-12
• Online Access: http://www.aacijournal.com/content/3/4/128

<p/> <p>Interleukin-12 (IL-12) was measured in 45 asthmatic children aged 3 to 16 years. The assessments were performed on 20 children during an episode of acute exacerbation and on 25 children during remission. There was no significant difference between the mean IL-12 level during exacerbation (1.63 ± 2.08 pg/mL) and during remission (0.88 ± 0.56 pg/mL) (<it>p </it>= .83). A positive, but insignificant, correlation was found between forced expiratory volume in 1 second and IL-12 (<it>p </it>= .634). IL-12 levels were significantly lower in children with a positive family history of asthma (1.13 ± 1.78 pg/mL) compared with those without (1.31 ± 1.06 pg/mL) (<it>p </it>< .012), supporting the theory that the gene-environment interactions affect the immune responses. IL-12 peripheral blood levels had no detectable impact on the course of established asthma in the study population.</p>