CYTOKINE STATUS IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC GASTRODUODENAL PATHOLOGY
Actuality. Diseases of the stomach and duodenum in children tend to continual growth, and the pathology itself is char- acterized by a group of features that are absent in adults. Aim: to identify the features of blood serum cytokine profile in children with chronic gastroduodenal pathology (CGDP). Material and methods. The main clinical group consisted of 54 children aged 8-18 years with CGDP. The comparison group consisted of 24 apparently healthy children matched for age and sex with the main clinical group. Results. 88.9% of children with CGDP had an increase of interleukin-4 (IL-4) as opposed to the indicators in comparison group of children. In case of combination with H.pylori, the level ofIL-4 decreased. The concentration of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) was not significantly different from that of the compari- son group of children in all types of infection, but its slightly higher values were at parasitosis. The highest IL-4 has been registered in ulcerative lesions of the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum. These patients had the highest level of TNF-. Conclu- sion. In children with ulcerative lesions of the mucous membrane, increased acid-forming function of the stomach, the significant prevalence of lesions (pangastritis), we have detected significantly higher values of IL-4 and TNF-.