High-altitude climate therapy reduces local airway XXXX and modulates lymphocyte activation.

@entity1 @entity32 @entity44388 @entity4047 @entity9388 @entity565 @entity7938 @entity56 @entity403 @entity379 @entity688
High-altitude climate therapy is a well-established therapeutic option, which improves clinical symptoms in @entity565 . However, little is known about the underlying immunological mechanisms. The study investigates the influence of high-altitude climate therapy on airway @entity32 and cellular components of specific and unspecific immune response. Exhaled NO significantly decreased within 3 weeks of therapy in @entity1 with @entity56 and intrinsic, moderate and severe @entity565 . @entity688 ( @entity688 )-secreting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) increased within 3 weeks of therapy in six of 11 @entity1 , whereas transforming growth factor-beta(1)-secreting PBMC remained stable. Furthermore, monocyte activation, assessed by @entity7938 expression significantly decreased during therapy. The frequency of @entity44388 -expressing T cells decreased, while regulatory T cells (T(reg)) remained stable. @entity403 and @entity9388 mRNA expression in CD4(+) T cells did not change, while @entity379 and @entity4047 mRNA expression decreased in eight of 10 @entity1 . The current data demonstrate that high-altitude climate therapy reduces local airway @entity32 . Furthermore, monocytes switch towards a tolerogenic phenotype under high-altitude climate therapy. The T(reg)/Th2 ratio increases; however, because of the absence of antigens/allergens, no de novo differentiation of Th2 nor T(reg) cells is observed. The high-altitude climate therapy therefore may form the immunological basis for the endogenous control of allergen-driven diseases.
