serum level of selenium, il-4, il-10 & ifn-g in patients with allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and healthy controls

background: allergic diseases have increased during the past decade worldwide. th2 type lymphocyte response is known to play an important role in the process of allergic inflammation. il-4, a mediator of type ii cytokine response increases ige synthesis and interferon gamma, a cytokine of type i response interferes with il-4 and inhibits ige production. selenium is an essential component of glutathione peroxides and changes in its plasma level has been proposed to be associated with allergic diseases. materials and methods: this study comprised of 21 cases of allergic asthma (aa), 33 cases of allergic rhinitis (ar) whose age and sex were matched with 28 healthy controls. il-4, il-10, ifn-g levels were tested by elisa assay, and serum selenium was measured by atomic absorption spectorphotometery method. results: mean serum selenium level of aa and ar groups were lower than controls. mean serum il-4 level of aa was higher than the ar group. mean serum il-4 level of aa and ar group were higher than controls. conclusion: the results of this study indicate that low selenium level may have a role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases.