BACKGROUND: Investigation of immunologic values in children vertically exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection could help explain the higher risk of infection in girls and indicate mechanisms of spontaneous viral clearance and possible long-term immunologic effects. METHODS: Prospective study of children born to HCV-infected women. Lymphocyte and neutrophil measurements were age-standardized using the LMS method (this summarizes the changing age distribution of a variable). Associations between maternal and infant characteristics and lymphocyte and neutrophil z-scores were quantified using linear regression allowing for repeated measures. RESULTS: HCV-infected children, girls, and those born to HCV/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected women had significantly higher lymphocyte z-scores than HCV-uninfected children, boys, and children born to HCV-only-infected women, respectively. Peak absolute lymphocytes were significantly lower for infected children with evidence of viral clearance than for persistently infected children. Girls also had significantly higher neutrophil z-scores than boys but HCV-infected children had significantly lower neutrophil z-scores than uninfected children. CONCLUSIONS: The gender associations are in line with those observed among children born to HIV-infected women, suggesting general gender-based differences in response to infection. Age-related standards for uninfected children could be used to assess immune function in other pediatric diseases and these results suggest that gender-specific reference values should be used at least for the first 2 years of life.

Pembrey L., Newell M.L., Tovo P.A., Faldella G., European Pediatric Hepatitits C Virus Network [, Lanari M, et al. (2008). Age-related lymphocyte and neutrophil levels in children of hepatitis C-infected women. THE PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL, 27, 800-807 [10.1097/INF.0b013e31816ffc0e].

Age-related lymphocyte and neutrophil levels in children of hepatitis C-infected women

FALDELLA, GIACOMO;LANARI, MARCELLO;
2008

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Investigation of immunologic values in children vertically exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection could help explain the higher risk of infection in girls and indicate mechanisms of spontaneous viral clearance and possible long-term immunologic effects. METHODS: Prospective study of children born to HCV-infected women. Lymphocyte and neutrophil measurements were age-standardized using the LMS method (this summarizes the changing age distribution of a variable). Associations between maternal and infant characteristics and lymphocyte and neutrophil z-scores were quantified using linear regression allowing for repeated measures. RESULTS: HCV-infected children, girls, and those born to HCV/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected women had significantly higher lymphocyte z-scores than HCV-uninfected children, boys, and children born to HCV-only-infected women, respectively. Peak absolute lymphocytes were significantly lower for infected children with evidence of viral clearance than for persistently infected children. Girls also had significantly higher neutrophil z-scores than boys but HCV-infected children had significantly lower neutrophil z-scores than uninfected children. CONCLUSIONS: The gender associations are in line with those observed among children born to HIV-infected women, suggesting general gender-based differences in response to infection. Age-related standards for uninfected children could be used to assess immune function in other pediatric diseases and these results suggest that gender-specific reference values should be used at least for the first 2 years of life.
2008
Pembrey L., Newell M.L., Tovo P.A., Faldella G., European Pediatric Hepatitits C Virus Network [, Lanari M, et al. (2008). Age-related lymphocyte and neutrophil levels in children of hepatitis C-infected women. THE PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL, 27, 800-807 [10.1097/INF.0b013e31816ffc0e].
Pembrey L.; Newell M.L.; Tovo P.A.; Faldella G.; European Pediatric Hepatitits C Virus Network [; Lanari M; ]
File in questo prodotto:
Eventuali allegati, non sono esposti

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/71309
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 3
  • Scopus 14
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 10
social impact