Related Experiment Videos
[Treatment using immucytal in children with recurrent respiratory infections: an Italian multicenter experience]
A Fiocchi1, B Vignati, P Cinquepalmi
1Clinica Pediatrica, Ospedale San Paolo, Milano, Italia.
Insights
Immucytal, a bacterial immunomodulator, significantly reduced recurrent respiratory infections in children. The treatment enhanced immune responses, including increased immunoglobulin levels and improved skin test reactivity, without altering respiratory function.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Recurrent respiratory infections (RRIs) pose a significant health burden in children.
- Current treatments often focus on symptom management rather than immune enhancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Immucytal, a bacterial immunomodulator, in reducing RRIs in children.
- To assess the impact of Immucytal on immunological parameters and respiratory function.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 120 children aged 2-15 years with RRIs.
- Children received either Immucytal or placebo for four months with a specific treatment/wash-out schedule.
- Assessment included clinical scores for infection frequency/severity, blood chemistry, immunological assays, and spirometry.
Main Results:
- Immucytal treatment led to a significant reduction in respiratory infectious episodes in both upper and lower airways.
- Actively treated children showed symptom improvement from the first month, unlike the placebo group.
- Immunological improvements included significant increases in serum IgA and IgM and enhanced in vivo skin test responses.
Conclusions:
- Immucytal is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of recurrent respiratory infections in children.
- The immunomodulator enhances specific immune responses without negatively impacting respiratory function parameters.
Abstract:
120 children, 71 male and 49 female, aged between 2 years and 15 years (mean 6.15 +/- 3.52 years) with recurrent respiratory infections, were treated with Immucytal, an immunomodulator of bacterial origin, based on membrane proteoglycan fractions plus bacterial ribosomes. The children, selected on the basis of the previous year's clinical score, were treated according to a random design with either Immucytal or placebo, using the same dosage of one puff per nostril plus one puff in the oropharyngeal cavity three times a day, as follows: 1st month: two weeks' treatment, one week wash out, one week's treatment. 2nd, 3rd, 4th months: two weeks' treatment, two week's wash out. Monthly throughout the treatment period the frequency and severity of airway infections episodes were assessed using the same score as for admission. Blood chemistry test, immunological assays (circulating Ig, lymphocyte subpopulations, Merieux Multitest in vivo blastization test) and respiratory tests (spirometry using a pneumotachigraph) were done before and after the treatment. 118/120 children completed treatment; the two dropouts were in the placebo group, one for compliance and the other because of headaches. Respiratory symptoms improved significantly in the actively treated children already from the first month, but not in the placebo group. This improvement consisted of reduction of the respiratory infectious episodes in both the upper and lower airways. No changes were noted in respiratory function parameters. From the immunological viewpoint, there were significant rises in serum IgA and IgM and enhanced skin response tot he Multitest; there was no change in the percentages of different circulating lymphocyte subpopulations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)