Preventive effect of thymomodulin in recurrent respiratory infections in children

: Recurrent respiratory infections (RRI) are a common occurrence in early childhood. Several investigations report the primary role of environmental factors (as early social mixing and passive smoking) in inducing RRI. In RRI children immunological defects, transient and not typical, have been often observed, but it is reasonable to suppose that they are essentially secondary to infections. Since immune modifications involve essentially cell-mediated immunity, several therapeutical attempts with thymic hormones have been carried out. In the present study the efficacy of thymomodulin was evaluated in a clinical trial in a group of children with RRI. Forty-six children suffering from RRI were enrolled on the basis of RI number in the previous year. Twenty-three children were treated with thymomodulin, twenty-three were not treated and were studied as control group. A significant reduction in the frequency of RI was noted only in treated children. Interleukin-2 production was assayed in all children before and after the trial, but not significant modification was observed in this immunological parameter. This study confirms the effectiveness of treatment with thymomodulin in RRI children, even though immunological background of clinical improvement remains to be elucidated.