Serum Interleukin-4 (IL-4) Levels in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis and Changes after Short-Term Immunotherapy

Authors: Gülay KINIKLI, Necla TÜLEK, Ahmet BEKTAŞ, Murat TURGAY, Hüseyin TUTKAK, Murat DUMAN, Güner TOKGÖZ

Abstract: IL-4 is a T-cell-derived cytokine that is required for the synthesis of lgE. In order to investigate the significance of lL-4 blood levels in measuring the diseases activity and the effectiveness of immunotherapy in the early stages, serum lL-4 levels were evaluated in patients with allergic rhinitis both at the outset of immunotherapy and six months into it. The study population consisted of 27 patients; 20 healthy nonatopic individuals served as a control. Serum lL-4 levels were measured with the ELISA kit, after which we compared the results and correlated them with symptom scores. Although patients before immunotherapy showed slightly higher serum levels of lL-4 and these diminished during six months of immunotherapy, this wasn't statistically important. No correlation was found between lL-4 levels and symptom scores. 0ur results suggest that serum lL-4 levels aren't helpful in measuring the diseaseÕs activity or the effectiveness of immunotherapy in atopic patients.

Keywords: Allergic rhinitis, cytokines, interleukin-4, immunotherapy