title: Th1/Th2 cytokine pattern in Arab children with severe asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bronchial Asthma has recently emerged as one of the most prevalent diseases in Arab countries. Environmental and geographical influences were shown to be the reasons of the variations in the rates of prevalence; no analyses have nevertheless yet been performed on the immunologic background associated with this condition in Arabic children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the cytokine production from T cells in children with and without asthma, and to determine the role of the most related cytokine patterns in childhood asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 195 Saudis children (98 asthma pediatric patients and 97 healthy controls) were randomly selected from the Riyadh Cohort Study for inclusion. Asthma was based on established pediatric diagnosis and medications taken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were observed between the two groups, thus, GMCSF, INF-γ, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8 and IgG-3 were reduced in patients compared to controls; in these same patients IgE, resistin, IL-4 and IgG-4 were significantly increased. In contrast with these results no differences between patients and controls were seen in CRP, TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2, IL-7, IL-10, IL-13, IgG-1, IgG-2, IgG-A and IgG-M. Result of a principal component analysis suggested that IL4. INF-γ and IgE are major players in the pathogenesis of asthma in Arabic children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These are the first data obtained in asthmatic children in Saudi; data herein confirm that this disease is associated with a profound degree of immune impairment independently of the peculiar genetic of the analyzed individuals, and of the environmental conditions that are present in this part of the world.
authors.affiliation: Biomarkers Research Program, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University 11451, Saudi Arabia ; Prince Mutaib Chair for Biomarkers of Osteoporosis, King Saud University Riyadh, KSA.
authors.forename: Nasser M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Al-Daghri
authors.affiliation: Biomarkers Research Program, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University 11451, Saudi Arabia ; Prince Mutaib Chair for Biomarkers of Osteoporosis, King Saud University Riyadh, KSA.
authors.forename: Majed S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Alokail
authors.affiliation: Biomarkers Research Program, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University 11451, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hossam M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Draz
authors.affiliation: Biomarkers Research Program, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University 11451, Saudi Arabia ; Prince Mutaib Chair for Biomarkers of Osteoporosis, King Saud University Riyadh, KSA.
authors.forename: Sherif H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Abd-Alrahman
authors.affiliation: Biomarkers Research Program, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University 11451, Saudi Arabia ; Prince Mutaib Chair for Biomarkers of Osteoporosis, King Saud University Riyadh, KSA.
authors.forename: Sobhy M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yakout
authors.affiliation: Chair of Immunology, University of Milano, Milano and Fondazione Don C. Gnocchi, IRCCS Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clerici
keywords: Children; cytokine; serum; severe asthma