FEATURES OF IMMUNE RESPONSE IN PRETERM BABIES WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DISPLASIA OF VARIOUS SEVERITY

To evaluate the immunity indexes in the children who were born with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) of varying severity at very early delivery terms (22-27 weeks), dynamic examinations were performed in 35 infants: 17 children were with severe BPD; 18, with mild-severity and moderately severe BPD. The comparison group consisted of seven children born at 22-27 weeks of gestational age without signs of BPD. Relative numbers of lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, CD16+CD56+, CD4+CD25+), and monocytes (CD14+CD64+, CD14+HLA-DR+) were determined by flow cytometry. The level of cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-4) was measured by enzyme immunoassay technique. The features of immune status in children with BPD of severe, mild and moderate severity were discerned. It was found that the predictors of severe BPD development in the children born at very early terms, are: increased content of IL-8 at birth and at the age of 1 month, reduced level of expression on monocytes (CD64, HLA-DR) on the 1 month of life, and CD14+CD64+cells at 38-40 weeks post conception. The revealed features of immune status in newborns with BPD can be used to assess the effectiveness of the therapy, which requires further research in this direction.