ALTERED IMMUNOREGULATION IN OTITIS-MEDIA WITH EFFUSION IN CHILDREN - PRESENCE OF SERUM IMMUNO-INHIBITORY FACTORS

In the present study serum immuno-inhibitory factors in children with otitis media with effusion (OME) were evaluated. The study included 23 children with OME and 23 healthy age-and-sex-matched controls. Serum inhibitory activity (SIA) was expressed as the inhibition index of pro liferative response to T-cells lectins. In almost all the children wit h OME the indices reflecting T-cell proliferation were below the range of those in the control group. The results suggest that the activity of the factor(s) which affect T-cell proliferation may be included in mechanisms contributing to the persistence of OME in children. Further studies are needed in order to establish the cellular and molecular a spects of serum inhibitory activity, as well as its significance in th e pathogenesis of OME.