Plasmacytoid dendritic cells during infancy are inversely associated with childhood XXXX and wheezing.

@entity1 @entity565 @entity402 @entity1200 @entity1729
BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that @entity1200 during early childhood plays an important role in @entity565 pathogenesis. However, it is not known specifically whether changes in dendritic cells (DCs) during infancy antedate the development of @entity1729 , @entity565 , and related clinical phenotypes. OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the association between the level of blood DCs during the first year and the subsequent development of @entity1729 , wheezing, and allergic sensitization. METHODS: A community-based cohort of @entity1 with a family history of @entity402 was followed to age 5 years. @entity1 were monitored intensively for @entity1729 . History of wheeze and @entity565 was collected annually, @entity402 was documented at 5 years, and flow cytometry was used to identify DC subsets in blood samples collected when @entity1 were well. RESULTS: Levels of plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) during infancy were inversely correlated with symptoms of @entity1729 , parent-reported wheezing, and the cumulative rate of physician-diagnosed @entity565 up to age 5 years. These relationships were independent of @entity402 , as determined by allergy skin test results and total and specific IgE levels. In contrast, levels of myeloid DCs were not associated with @entity1729 , @entity565 , or wheezing but were associated with total IgE levels at age 5 years. CONCLUSION: In @entity1 with a family history of @entity402 of circulating pDCs during infancy appears to be a risk factor for more frequent and more severe @entity1729 , wheezing, and a diagnosis of @entity565 . @entity1 with higher numbers of pDCs are protected against these outcomes.
