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Updated: May 5, 2026

Assessing Respiratory Immune Responses to Haemophilus Influenzae
Published on: June 29, 2021
Non-specific immune stimulation in respiratory tract infections. Separating the wheat from the chaff
Wojciech Feleszko1, Marek Ruszczyński2, Bartłomiej Mateusz Zalewski2
1Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergy, The Medical University Children's Hospital, Działdowska 1, 01-184 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
Parents of children suffering from recurrent respiratory infections can be persuaded by advertisements to pressure their family physicians and pediatricians for "immune-stimulating enhancements". However, the evidence base behind these immune stimulants is usually lacking. Often there is no peer-reviewed studies available that support claims made by "immune-booster" supplements. In this review, we critically analyze most of the marketed immuno-active drugs (including vitamin preparations, dietary supplements, homeopathic remedies, Ecchinacea, bacterial lysates, and probiotics) and identify the necessity to exclude an immunodeficiency in every child suffering from recurrent respiratory tract infections.
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