The effect of passive exposure to tobacco smoke on the immune response in children with asthma 

Abstract IntroductionThere are a few publications about the impact of tobacco smoke on the children’s immune system. Material and MethodsThe study group consisted of 43 children with asthma.. The control group consisted of 37 healthy children. The exposure to tobacco smoke was assessed by the presence of the cotinine in the urine. ResultsThe group of children with asthma exposed to tobacco smoke had significantly higher levels of the IL-1 and lower levels IL-4 than children not exposed to the passive smoking. The children from the control group exposed to tobacco smoke had a significantly higher concentration of IL-4 than unexposed children. In the whole analyzed population, there was a significant correlation between the presence of cotinine and the concentration of IL-1 and CRP. ConclusionIn this study we found that the passive exposure to tobacco smoke has the immunomodulatory effects on the immune system.