title: Hyper-responsive T-cell cytokine profile in association with development of early childhood wheeze but not eczema at 2 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Eczema is a known risk factor for the development of wheeze in childhood. Cord blood T-cell cytokine responses have been shown to be associated with the development of both early childhood eczema and wheeze. Our objective is to study and compare the influence of intrinsic T-cell cytokine responses on the development of wheezing and eczema in the first 2 years of life in a birth cohort of at risk (first degree family with atopic disease) infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cord blood samples were collected from 195 eligible subjects of a birth cohort of 253 subjects. The subjects studied were those who developed either wheezing (n = 34) or eczema (n = 29) in the first 2 years of life, and 65 healthy infants served as control. Cytokines from phytohaemagglutinin stimulated mononuclear cells were analyzed using multiplex cytokine assays and the cytokine profiles in the 3 groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the subjects were non-atopic with only 3/34 (9%) wheeze and 9/29 (31%) eczema subjects sensitized to the common dietary or inhalant allergens. After adjustment for potential risk factors, wheeze, but not eczema subjects, presented with hyper-responsive cytokine profiles with increased production of T-cell cytokines IL-2 and IL-5. IL-5 was the strongest risk factor associated to the development of wheeze at 2 years of age (OR, 35; 95% CI, 5.0 -246.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cord blood cytokine responses in early onset wheeze and eczema are distinctly different. This suggests that the tendency to develop early onset wheeze may be influenced by preexisting immune factors independent to those for eczema.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Republic of Singapore.
authors.forename: Phaik Ling
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Quah
authors.forename: Chiung-Hui
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lynette Pei-Chi
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Shek
authors.forename: Kaw Yan
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: Bee Wah
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: I-Chun
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D004485:Eczema / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000276:immunology*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D015848:Interleukin-5