Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Specific Antibodies and Atopic Diseases in Children: A 10-Year Follow-Up

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) stimulates the production of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E and IgG4 antibodies as a hallmark of the Th2 immune response. In this paper, we evaluated the occurrence of atopic diseases in 10-year-old children who were positive for RSV-specific IgG antibodies during infancy.

The prospective follow-up of 72 children included a physical examination, an International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire and the determination of RSV-specific antibodies and total and allergen-specific IgE.

Children with asthma had their first wheezing episode at a younger age (χ2 8.097, df = 1, p = 0.004). RSV-specific IgG4 levels at year one were positively correlated with atopic dermatitis (AD) (tau_b = 0.211, p = 0.049) and current AD (tau_b = 0.269, p = 0.012); and RSV-specific IgE levels were positively correlated with allergic rhinitis (AR) (tau_b = 0.290, p = 0.012) and current AR (tau_b = 0.260, p = 0.025). Positive RSV-specific IgE at the age of one increased the chances of asthma occurrence by 5.94 (OR = 5.94, 95% CI = 1.05-33.64; p = 0.044) and the chances of AR by more than 15 times (OR = 15.03, 95% CI = 2.08-108.72; p = 0.007). A positive family history of atopy increased the chances of asthma occurrence by 5.49 times (OR = 5.49, 95% CI = 1.01-30.07; p = 0.049), and a longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding lowered that chance (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.45-0.89; p = 0.008). Prenatal smoking increased the chances of AR occurrence by 7.63 times (OR = 7.63, 95% CI = 1.59-36.53; p = 0.011).

RSV-specific IgE and RSV-specific IgG4 antibodies could be risk markers for the development of atopic diseases in children.