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Concentrations of LTB 4 , LTC 4 , LTD 4 and LTE 4 in bronchiolitis due to respiratory syncytial virus
Author(s) -
Garofalo R.,
Welliver R. C.,
Ogra P. L.,
Welliver Dr. Robert
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
pediatric allergy and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.269
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1399-3038
pISSN - 0905-6157
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3038.1991.tb00177.x
Subject(s) - bronchiolitis , ribavirin , medicine , leukotriene , respiratory system , respiratory tract , leukotriene receptor , immunology , asthma , virus , gastroenterology , hepatitis c virus
Fifty‐five infants with bronchiolitis due to respiratory syncytial virus were evaluated for the presence of leukotriene B 4 , C 4 , D 4 and E 4 in nasopharyngeal secretions. An attempt was made to correlate concentrations of leukotrienes to arterial oxygen tension. Forty participants received conventional therapy consisting primarily of aerosolized albuterol and occasional aminophylline therapy. The other 15 individuals received ribavirin therapy in addition to conventional therapy, and leukotriene concentrations were compared among individuals in these groups. RSV infection was documented by standard methods, and leukotrienes were measured by reverse‐phase high pressure liquid chromatography. The leukotriene detected most commonly was LTC 4 (up to 83% of subjects); LTD 4 and LTB 4 were present in approximately 30% of individuals. The mean partial pressure of oxygen was found to be lower in those individuals with detectable LTB 4 than in those without detectable LTB 4 (p < 0.025), and an overall inverse correlation of LTB 4 concentrations with initial pO 2 values was observed (r = 0.318, p < 0.05). The presence and quantity of other leukotrienes did not correlate with the severity of illness. During the first week of illness, the concentration of leukotrienes declined sharply in ribavirin recipients. Individuals receiving conventional therapy during the same time interval exhibited stable or increasing leukotriene concentrations. These observations suggest that LTB 4 may be important in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis, and that ribavirin therapy may inhibit leukotriene release in the respiratory tract.