SEASONAL VARIATION IN INTERLEUKIN 4 IN PATIENTS WITH HAYFEVER

This study was performed to investigate the value of interleukin 4 as a marker of activity in mild atopic disease. We compared IL-4 levels to eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), a suggested inflammatory marker in allergic disease, in patients with hayfever. Patients with hayfever were assessed during January and then in late June at the height of the grass pollen season, and their levels of serum ECP and IL-4 compared. Serum ECP was determined by radio-immunoassay and serum IL-4 by a high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ECP was found to increase significantly in patients with hayfever during the grass pollen season (P