Prevention of Recurrent Infections

Abstract

This study investigated the role of ribosomal immunotherapy ('Ribomunyl') in the rehabilitation of 153 children aged 7 to 14 years who had chronic diseases of the respiratory tract or ear, nose and throat (ENT) and were living in the Aral region (Kazakhstan). Diagnoses included chronic tonsillitis (n = 8), adenoid polyps (n = IS), chronic pharyngitis (n = 42), chronic otitis (n = 23), and other chronic respiratory infections (n = 65). These children received ribosomal immunotherapy. To enable comparison of the study parameters, there was a control group consisting of relatively healthy children. The effect of ribosomal immunotherapy was evaluated on the basis of clinical signs, duration of remissions and duration of antibacterial treatment courses, and by immune indices, which were determined by special immune methods: definition of CD3, CD4, CD8 and 3F3 cells, and serum JgM, IgG and IgA levels. The children from the Aral region with chronic respiratory tract and ENT diseases were found to have reduced CD3 cell counts (-20%), sharply increased numbers of CD4 cells, and higher concentrations (+30%) of IgG compared with the healthier control group. The average duration of infectious episodes in children with recurrent infections was 90 to 94 days over the previous winter, and the average duration of antibacterial therapy for each episode of acute respiratory disease was 8 days. After 6 winter months of ribosomal immunotherapy, the average duration of infectious episodes was 40 days, while the average duration of one-course antibacterial therapy for acute respiratory disease was 4 days. The number of CD3 cells had increased but remained 10% below the level of the control group; the number of CD4 cells had increased 2-fold.