Seasonal and sex-related changes in the levels of immunoglobulins and lysozyme in a semicohort of children during a three-year period.
A semicohort of 289 children of both sexes, initial age 9.5 +/- 0.4 years, was monitored in three urban localities of the Central-Bohemia Region over a period of three years. The children were examined twice a year, always after the summer and winter seasons; examined were: immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) and lysozyme (LYS) levels in the blood serum and IgA and LYS levels in the saliva. The time series of six examinations revealed significant season-related fluctuations: peaks of mean IgG and IgM levels were detected after the summer months, mean LYS levels peaked after the winter season. The indicators monitored in the saliva did not show any significant season-dependent changes, but their values fluctuated considerably, with a highest decline at about 11 years of age. Intersexual differences were significant and also data from individual localities were found to differ. The distribution curves, constructed from data of three autumn and three spring measurements, revealed that the values of spring IgG and IgM levels differed significantly from those measured in autumn, showing a shift towards the lower values. No seasonal changes were observed in the levels of IgA, secretory IgA and LYS. The highest number of children with subnormal values was found in case of IgA, which is explainable by a physiologically occurring developmental deficiency of this type of immunoglobulin. The occurrence of subnormal IgG and IgM levels was markedly season-related, within a maximum in spring. The subnormal levels were significantly more frequently in boys.
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009113:Muramidase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D012463:Saliva / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors
D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D009113:Muramidase