title: Serum interleukin-2 receptor in infants and young children.
abstract: Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) concentrations were measured in 110 serum samples from 102 children undergoing routine small bowel biopsy for a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms. Young children in the control group who had no gastrointestinal disease and a normal intestinal mucosa were found to have high concentrations of IL-2R. There was a significant inverse relationship between IL-2R concentration and age in the control group. Children with a gastrointestinal diagnosis appeared to have increased IL-2R concentrations, although some of the diagnostic groups were too small in size for statistical analysis. Children with cow's milk sensitive enteropathy had IL-2R concentrations equivalent to those of age-matched controls. High concentrations of IL-2R in young healthy children implies that serum IL-2R is of no clinical use as an index of inflammation in this age group.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, London, UK.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Walker-Smith
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood* / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000473:pathology; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2