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Interferon‐γ therapy for infection control in chronic granulomatous disease
Author(s) -
OHGA SHOUICHI,
OKAMURA JUN,
NAKAYAMA HIDEKI,
NAGATOSHI YOSHIHISA,
UEDA KOHJI
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-200x.1995.tb03321.x
Subject(s) - medicine , chronic granulomatous disease , phagocyte , pneumonia , immunology , interferon , gastroenterology , surgery , phagocytosis
Abstract Interferon (IFN)‐γ was subcutaneously administered to four patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) in order to evaluate its effects in controlling infection. Patients 1 to 3 were all males, while patient 4 was female. In patients 2 and 4, the length of infection‐associated hospitalization during the year of IFN therapy was significantly shorter than that during the whole observed period prior to IFN therapy. In patients 1 and 2, the length of hospitalization during a year of IFN therapy was shorter than that during 1 year prior to the therapy. Patient 3 exhibited no reduction in terms of the length of infectious disease during IFN therapy, because he suffered from a liver abscess before and during the therapy. As soon as the IFN therapy was stopped, patient 2 developed pneumonia and lymphadenitis, which were promptly relieved by readministering the agent. During 1 year of IFN therapy, patients 1, 2 and 4 showed no significant changes in either the nitroblue tetrazolium test, O 2 ‐ production or the expression of NADPH oxidase components in neutrophils. On the other hand, the O 2 ‐ generating ability of neutrophils from patient 3 slightly increased. Our limited observations suggest that IFN‐γ may be variably beneficial for infection control in CGD‐patients, irrespective of the in vitro phagocyte functions. A longer follow‐up time is needed to confirm the IFN response in CGD‐patients.