Predominance of Th2 Cytokine Response at Acute Phase in 95 Patients with SARS and its Clinical Significance
Abstract: This study was designed to investigate dynamics of cytokines in acute and convalescent patients with Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The serum levels of cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, interleukin-10, IFN-γ, TNF-β and TGF-β) in 95 healthy workers with SARS in our hospital were measured by ELISA. Phenotypes of peripheral lymphocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry in acute phase, compared with those of healthy volunteers. The results showed that serum level of IFN-γ showed no significant change during the whole period of SARS-CoV attack, and IL-2 level did not changed obviously within the first 2 months but decreased during month 3 and 5, while IL-4 levels were undetectable in both healthy subjects and the patients, and expression of TNF-β was diminished within the first week and the second month. In contrast, IL-10 and TGF-β were continuously overproduced for the entire SARS development. These changes are not correlative with the usage of corticosteroids (P0.05). In patients with SARS at acute phase,