ABSTRACT

CD4+ CD25+ (high) Treg cell levels which play a role in the pathogenesis and suppression of allergic diseases were analyzed in children with reactive airway disease and compared with healthy children;reduced levels at the time of the disease and the importance in recurrency were investigated. 20 children with reactive airway disease or recurrent wheezing and 20 healthy children without previous lower respiratory disease,wheezing,allergic disease,family history of allergic diseases were included.Blood samples from healthy and patient group were analyzed by flow cytometry and CD4+ CD25+ (high)T regulatory cell levels were determined. Mean number of attacks in the patient group was 5.6 ± 4.1, mean attack rate was 0.21±0.12.Mean values of CD4+ CD25+ (high)T regulatory cell percentages in patients group was 6.34 % ± 2.38 (4.3 to 11.5) and 7.67 ± 3.26% in the control group (4.5 to 15).We compared the levels of CD4+ CD25+ (high)T cells in the patient group and control group,didn’t make any sense statistically.When CD4+ CD25+ (high) T regulatory cell percentages correlated with both attack rate and severe attacks,there was a statistically significant inverse relationship between them(p<0.05).In patient group levels of CD4+ CD25+ (high) T cells were decreasing gradually as attack rate and the number of severe attacks increased.

Reactive airway disease as a significant predictor of “asthma”,we suggest that it would be better to re-investigate CD4+ CD25+ (high)T cells in large series because it seems to play an essential role in the pathogenesis and recurrence of reactive airway disease.