INTERLEUKIN-4 AND INTERFERON-GAMMA PRODUCTION IN ATOPIC AND NONATOPICCHILDREN WITH ASTHMA

Previous studies have demonstrated increased production of interleukin -4 (IL-4) and reduced production of interferon (IFN)-gamma in stimulat ed peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures from children and adults with atopic dermatitis, however, it is unclear whether such an imbala nce of cytokine production relates to other childhood atopic diseases such as asthma, and in particular to the presence of the atopic state per se. The production of IL-4 and IFN gamma in phytohaemagglutin- (PH A)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures from a topic and non-atopic children with moderately severe chronic persisten t asthma, and a group of age-matched non-atopic controls who did not h ave asthma was examined. Atopic children with asthma produced signific antly more IL-4 and less IFN gamma than non-atopic children with asthm a and non-atopic controls who did not have asthma. There was no signif icant difference in IL-4 or IFN gamma production between non-atopic ch ildren with asthma and controls. These findings demonstrate that an im balance of IL-4 and IFN-gamma production is present in atopic asthma a s previously documented in atopic dermatitis, therefore suggesting tha t it is a feature of the atopic state per se.