Serum immunglobulin and specific IGE levels of 1-5 year old patients with pneumonia

Introduction and Aim: Pneumonia is a common disease in childhood all over the world and is among the first causes of death, especially in children under 5 years of age. Pneumonia and recurrent infections in young children should be investigated for underlying diseases. The common underlying cause of recurrent pneumonia is bronchial asthma Natural and acquired immunity damage in asthma, there is a predisposition to pneumonia. Another common underlying cause of recurrent pneumonia is primary immune deficiencies. Primary immunodeficiencies are rare diseases. Due to the high rate of consanguineous marriages in our society, it is seen more frequently than other societies. However, when evaluating serum immunoglobulin levels, it should be taken into consideration that immune responses are in a physiological maturation period especially in the first two years of life. In our study, we aimed to compare the serum IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE levels of our patients with normal values according to age groups, to evaluate the vaccine specific antibody response, skin prick test and serum specific IgE levels. Material and Methods: In our study, patients with pneumonia aged 1 to 5 years old who applied to the Child Allergy and Immunology Outpatient Clinic, Pediatric Outpatient Clinic and Pediatric Emergency Clinic between March 2014 and February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with serum immunoglobulin levels were included in the study. Of these patients, those with a previously known diagnosis of immunodeficiency, concomitant multiple congenital anomalies and those with chronic disease were excluded. Patients file records, gender, age of admission, presence of recurrent pneumonia, laboratory findings in the application (absolute eosinophil count, eosinophil percentage, serum IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE levels), specific IgE and skin test results were recorded. Results: A total of 99 (57.6% boys, 42.4% girls) patients who met the study criteria were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 26.9 months. Recurrent pneumonia was observed in 63 (63.6%) of all patients. Recurrent pneumonia in male patients was statistically significantly higher than female patients (p = 0.046). In 47.5% of patients, at least one immunoglobulin isotype was found to be low. Serum IgA was low in 23.2%, IgG was low in 35.4% and IgM was low in 17.2 %. IgE value was high in 62.6% of all patients. In 67 patients with specific IgE levels, 14 (20.9%) were elevated. Sensitivity to food allergens (16.4%) was found most frequently. Conclusion: Patients with recurrent pneumonia should be evaluated in terms of underlying diseases. Bronchial asthma and immune deficiencies are common underlying causes. In addition, the association of antibody deficiencies and asthma has been frequently reported. It is also appropriate to evaluate patients who are followed in allergy clinics in terms of immune deficiencies. Keywords: Antibody deficiency, Atopy, Pneumonia, Primary immunodeficiency.