Correlation of the Serum Levels of Leukotrienes with the Serum Levels of IgE and the Long-term Prognosis in Patients with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

Objective: We analyzed the serum levels of leukotrienes (LTs) to obtain further insight into the pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants.Methods: The subjects were 22 infants with RSV infection. The serum LT and immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were measured at admission and at the end of the hospital stay. We investigated the correlations of the serum LT levels with the serum IgE levels and the long-term (3-6 years) prognosis of the infants.Results: The mean serum LT level was significantly higher at the end of the hospital stay than at admission, particularly in the high-IgE group. The mean serum LT level at the end of the hospital stay was also significantly higher in the poor-prognosis group as compared to that in the good-prognosis group.Conclusion: In infants with RSV infection, the serum LT levels were significantly elevated, particularly in the high-IgE group and the poor-prognosis group, suggesting a pathogenetic role of LTs of lower respiratory tract inflammation caused by RSV infection.