B. Bjorksten et al., INTERLEUKIN-4, SOLUBLE CD23 AND INTERFERON-GAMMA LEVELS IN SERUM DURING THE FIRST 18 MONTHS OF LIFE, International archives of allergy and immunology, 107(1-3), 1995, pp. 34-36
Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-4, interferon (IFN)-gamma and soluble
CD23 (sCD23) were analysed in a prospective study of 64 infants monit
ored from birth to 18 months of age. The levels were low at birth and
then increased, reaching a peak at either 6 or 9 months and then decre
ased up to 18 months of age. The children who developed atopic disease
during the first 18 months of life had significantly higher IL-4 medi
an levels than those who did not. No relationship was seen between the
levels of sCD23 and IFN-gamma and allergy. Thus, the IL-4 levels in s
erum, but not sCD23 and IFN-gamma, were associated with allergic disea
se in infancy. Elevated levels were recorded before the onset of clini
cal symptoms, indicating that atopic disease is associated with a prim
ary deviation of T cell function.