Wheezing in children with persistent herpetic infection

Abstract

An evaluation was conducted of herpetic infections and clinical and immunological features in wheezy children. The study group included 54 children with recurrent wheezing, who were admitted to the Public Medical and Sanitary Institution Children’s Municipal Clinical Hospital No. 1 in 2008-2009. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the age: group 1 – children aged 0-12 months (18.8%), group 2 – 12-24 months of age (62.9%), and group 3 – 24-36 months (18.3%). The herpetic infection diagnosis was confirmed by the following examination methods: PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and the immunoenzymatic technique. Humoral immunity was assessed using the Mancini method and cell-mediated immunity was assessed using sheep erythrocytes. All patients included in the study had positive family epidemiological anamnesis of herpetic infections. Analysis of the results was carried out by means of the medical statistical method. Children with herpetic infections are at a major risk of recurrent wheezing. All examined children had mixed forms of herpetic infections (Herpes simplex virus+Cytomegalovirus). Association of the acute renal failure with Herpes simplex virus+Cytomegalovirus infections has facilitated the apparition of secondary humoral and cell-mediated immunological disorders (decrease of CD3, CD-4, CD8, and CD-20 levels and also immunoglobulin A and G fractions).