The impact of cystic fibrosis on the immunologic profile of pediatric patients

Objective: to compare the immunologic state of 44 pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (cf) with a control group consisting of 16 healthy individuals. methods: cf patients aged 3 to 12 years with moderate to good clinical score were selected for the study. erythrocytic glutathione,production of reactive oxygen species,cytokines (tnf-α,ifn-γ,il-8,il-6,il-10) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultures under spontaneous and bcg- or pha-stimulated conditions,serum concentrations of tgf-β2,iga,igg,igm,ige,and salivary iga were evaluated. results: the spontaneous production of tnf-α,il-6,and il-10,the pha-stimulated production of il-6,and the serum tgf-β2,iga,and igg were increased in samples from cf patients. healthy subjects had a higher production of tnf-α in response to bcg. conclusion: although cf patients appeared clinically stable,the results of their peripheral blood examinations demonstrated an impact on the immune system. copyright © 2013 sociedade brasileira de pediatria. published by elsevier editora ltda. all rights reserved.