The effect of immunomodulators on various markers of the acute inflammation phase in patients with mild community-acquired pneumonia

The objective: to study the effect of immunomodulators on markers of the acute inflammation phase in patients with mild community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Subjects and methods. Patients (n = 64) with mild CAP (39.62 ± 9.82 years, CRB – 650.15 ± 0.04 scores) were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (control) received only standard CAP therapy; in the other two groups, immunomodulators were prescribed simultaneously with standard therapy: in Group 2 – bacterial lysate (BL), in Group 3 – azoximer bromide (AB). In the patients, the blood levels of IL-6, TNF-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactoferrin were tested before treatment (day 1), and on days 13 and 60 of observation.

Results. The initial levels of TNF-α, IL-6, CRP and lactoferrin in the patients were statistically significantly higher above normal ones. A significant decrease in the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, CRP was found in all patients on the 13th and 60th days of observation compared to the 1st day, the maximum reduction was observed in the patients receiving immunomodulators. The biggest decrease in the level of lactoferrin on the 60th day of observation was noted in the group of patients taking BL. The changes in the rate of TNF-α and IL-6 levels decrease on the 13th and 60th days were also statistically significantly more pronounced (compared to the control group). The changes in the rate of decreasing from the baseline on the 13th and 60th days in TNF-α in the BL Group made 44 [-64; -32]% and 85 [-89; -82]%; in the AB Group – 28 [-40; -20]% and 82 [-86; -80]%; in IL-6 in the BL group – 32 [-40; -18]% and 86 [-90; -85]%, in the AB group – 45 [-53; -38]% and 86 [-88; -84]%. In the control group, this parameter for TNF-α was 18 [-32; -8]% and 64 [-78; -56]%, for IL-6 – 11 [-20; -1]% and 75 [-81; -74]%.

Conclusion. The addition of immunomodulators (BL, AB) to the therapy of patients with mild CAP results in statistically significant decrease in the blood levels of biomarkers of the acute inflammation phase on the 13th and 60th days.

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