Serum interleukin-13 levels in infants with acute bronchiolitis

Objective To observe the change of serum interleukin-13(IL-13) and the clinical severity of disease in infants with acute bronchiolitis.Methods Forty-two infants with acute bronchiolitis from 2 to 12 months of age were put into this study and divided into two groups according to the clinical severity score:the mild bronchiolitis group and the severe bronchiolitis group;16 healthy infants were selected as the control group.IL-13 level in serum was detected with Sandwich enzyme linked immurosorbent assay(ELISA).Results The serum level of IL-13 in acute bronchiolitis patients(6.68±2.12)ng/L was significantly higher than that in the control group(5.48±1.28)ng/L(P0.05).The mean IL-13 level showed no statistical difference between the mild group and severe group [(7.11±1.95) ng/L vs(6.64±2.24)ng/L,P0.05].Conclusion The serum level of IL-13 increases in acute bronchiolitis and may involve in the pathogenesis of the disease.But,there is no relationship between the serum concentrations of IL-13 and clinical severity of the disease.