Reduced interferon gamma production and soluble CD14 levels in early life predict recurrent wheezing by 1 year of age.
It is unknown whether reduced production of IFNgamma in early life, before any lower respiratory tract illness, is a risk factor for recurrent wheezing in infancy. We followed 238 infants prospectively from birth to 1 year of age. At birth and at 3 months of age, IFNgamma production from polyclonally stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and soluble CD14 (sCD14) levels in plasma were measured. The odds of developing recurrent wheezing (assessed by questionnaire) in the first year of life were up to 4.5 times higher for children in the lowest quartile of IFNgamma production at 3 months (p = 0.0005) and 3.2 times higher for children in the lowest quartile of sCD14 levels at birth (p = 0.004) as compared with children in the other 3 combined quartiles of IFNgamma and sCD14, respectively. Findings were confirmed in the multivariate analysis. IFNgamma production at 3 months and sCD14 levels at birth were correlated (r = 0.188, p = 0.031). Our findings from a longitudinal cohort suggest that impaired IFNgamma production at 3 months and reduced plasma-sCD14 levels at birth significantly increase the risk of developing recurrent wheezing in the first year of life.
Guerra
Stefano
S
Arizona Respiratory Center, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724-5030, USA.
Lohman
I Carla
IC
Halonen
Marilyn
M
Martinez
Fernando D
FD
Wright
Anne L
AL
D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution
D015415:Biomarkers; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D007371:Interferon-gamma