Serial study of the complement fractions C3, C4 and C3PA in allergic children.
The C3, C4 and C3PA complement fractions were dosed by radial immunodiffusion in the serum of 25 children with ages from 4 to 9 years in a non symptomatic period comprehending 10 atopic asthmas (40,0% of the cases) 8 non atopic asthmas (32.0%) and 7 urticarias (28,0%). The quantitative dosage of the studied fractions was carried out in a serial form 7, 14, 30 and 45 days after the first determination, what made a total of 116 dosages of C3, 112 of C4 and 114 of C3PA. Globally, no differences were verified in the averages and standard deviations of the complement fractions studied in the various pathological situations considered. The complement anomaly more frequently observed was the C4 increase in 37,8% of the assays in patients with atopic asthma, 16,2% of the assays in patients with non-atopic asthma and in 33,3% of the assays in urticaria cases. The other complement fractions studied showed inconstant variations in some cases. The serial study demonstrated in the same patient, variations larger than 2 standard deviations in 25,8% of the assays for C3, 25,0% for C4 and 27,2% for C3PA, what may possibly indicate the great instability of the complement system which depends on a function, consumption or activation and synthesis relation, having to be taken into consideration in those assays comprehending the quantitative study of the seric complement fractions.
D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000032:analysis*; D003181:Complement C4 / Q000032:analysis*; D011415:Complement Factor B / Q000032:analysis*; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D014581:Urticaria / Q000276:immunology
D003176:Complement C3; D003181:Complement C4; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D011415:Complement Factor B