ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Several studies have shown that viral respiratory infections induce more severe respiratory symptoms in atopic patients than in normal subjects. We attempted to investigate if there is any difference in the viral etiology, clinical manifestations, production of interleukin (IL)-8, and regulated on activation in normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) between atopic and non-atopic subjects with lower respiratory infections. METHODS: Sera and nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) were collected from 97 children with lower respiratory infections who were admitted to the pediatric ward. Seventy-one children were classified as atopic subjects. We detected respiratory viruses with multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in NPA and measured total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and specific IgE in sera. IL-8 and RANTES levels measured in sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, etiology, and clinical manifestations were compared between atopic and non-atopic subjects. Atopic patients were defined as having elevated specific IgE to more than one allergen or age-matched, high serum total IgE levels. RESULTS: Both serum IL-8 and RANTES levels were significantly higher in atopic than in non-atopic patients. There was no significant difference in viral etiology and clinical diagnosis between the two groups. The frequency of wheezing was higher in atopic than in non-atopic patients. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that both serum IL-8 and RANTES levels and the frequency of wheezing were significantly higher in atopic than in non-atopic patients. That suggests that chemokine responses to viral respiratory infection may be different between atopic and non-atopic patients and may be associated with a difference in clinical manifestation, such as wheezing, between the two groups. However, further prospective large-scaled studies are required to clarify our conclusion.