Defective IL-10 expression and in vitro steroid-induced IL-17A in paediatric severe therapy-resistant asthma

This study examined cytokine profiles in the airways of children aged 5–16 years with severe therapy-resistant asthma (n=19) and moderate asthma (n=16), as compared with non-asthmatic control subjects (n=13); also assessed was the in vitro capacity of peripheral mononuclear blood cells for cytokine production following polyclonal T cell activation in culture in the absence or presence of dexamethasone and 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. As part of the study, spirometry was conducted using the Vitalograph Pneumotrac spirometer with Spirotrac software.