Surveys of the respiratory symptoms were useful to estimate of health effects caused by air pollution. We investigated relationship between salivary immunoglobulins and respiratory symptoms in order to study on the local immunity.
When the school children awoke in the morning, samples of whole saliva (saliva) were collected. After the centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 15 min, the supernatan fluids ofindividual specimens were separated and concentrations of albumin, immunoglobulin A and G IgA, Ig G were measured by single radial immunodiffusion method, and total protein (T. P) were measured by Lowry's method. The health status of each subject was assesed by the use of a ATS-DLD questionaire. The subjects were devided into healthy subjects and sujects complaining of respiratory symptoms, such as persistentcough (PC), persistent phlegm (PP), wheezing (Wh), asthmatoid symptom (AS), remission of asthmatoid symptoms (Ras), and history of respiratory diseases (Hd) by use of the health survey questionaire.
We obtained the following results.
1. Concentrations of IgA in saliva of PP-subjects were higher than the healthy subjects. But, concentrations of IgA of the Wh-subjects and As-subjects were lower than the healthy subjects. Persentages of IgA to T. P (IgA/T. P) of the Wh-subjects and As-subjects were decreased significantly compaired with healthy subjects.
2. In the As
4-subjects, who were frequently ill in bed for more than three days with respiratory diseases such as common cold in three years, concentrations of IgA and ratios of IgA/T. P in saliva were decreased significantly compaired with the other complaiants and healthy subjects.
3. In the Ras-subjects, concentrations of IgA and ratios of IgA/T. P were same as those in the healthy subjects.
These results suggest that the school children complaining of asthmatoid symptoms, especially As
4- subjects, were diminished in the ability of local immunity.
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