Avaliação do perfil da resposta imune em crianças com síndrome de Down e controles normais

Abstract

Introduction : subjects with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections and autoimmune diseases. These conditions are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in most cases. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the profile of the immune response (innate and adaptive) of children with DS. Methods : this was a case-control study. Patients with DS and controls were selected by a convenience sampling. Recruitment was conducted in a university hospital and a Center for Integration of Children with Special Needs (Kinder), both in the city of Porto Alegre. To evaluate the immune function was performed purification of human monocytes and human neutrophils, chemotaxis assay of human neutrophils, proliferation assay and immunophenotyping. Results : this study included 13 (10/13 fem.) patients with DS and 6 (2/6 fem.) controls, with a mean age of 8.13 and 9.83 years respectively. When we measured neutrophil migration, there were no significant changes in the DS group. Moreover, analyzing the variables associated with the adaptive immune response, we observed a trend of lower percentages for CD4+ T lymphocyte and higher for CD8+ in the group with DS. When we analyzed the CD4+/CD8+ ratio, a significant difference was observed even considering the small sample size. Conclusion : this study, together with the analysis of previous studies, suggests that patients with DS show a decreased CD4+/CD8+ ratio, which may explain the clinical picture of recurrent infections in these children