Human immunoglobulin in combination with antimicrobial agents enhances the treatment efficacy and reduces inflammatory response in children with severe pneumonia

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of human immunoglobulin combined with antibiotics in treating severe pediatric pneumonia.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 210 pediatric patients with severe pneumonia admitted to the Department of Neonatology of Cangzhou Central Hospital from April 2019 to October 2022. Patients were divided into two groups (the observation group and the control group) based on the administration of human immunoglobulin. Clinical indexes of both groups before and after treatment were analyzed to determine the therapeutic effect of different treatment methods on pediatric severe pneumonia.

Results: The durations of cough, fever, pulmonary rales, and lung shadow, and hospitalization time in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The total clinical effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8 and hsCRP) were decreased in both groups after treatment (all P<0.05), and were lower in the observation group compared with the control group after treatment (all P<0.05). The serum levels of IgA, IgG and IgM after five days of intervention were obviously higher than those before intervention in the observation group (all P<0.05), but the serum levels of IL-4, INF-γ and INF-γ/IL-4 were obviously lower (all P<0.05). The total incidence of adverse reactions between two groups after intervention was not statistically different (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The combination of human immunoglobulin and antibiotics for the treatment of pediatric severe pneumonia is beneficial, because it improves efficacy, boosts the immune system, and reduces inflammation.

Keywords: Severe pneumonia; human immunoglobulin; immune function; inflammatory response.

Figure 1

Comparison of immune biomarkers in the observation group before and five days after intervention. A: Comparison of serum levels of IgA before and after five days of intervention; B: Comparison of serum levels of IgG before and after five days of intervention; C: Comparison of serum levels of IgM before and after five days of intervention; D: Comparison of serum levels of IL-4 before and after five days of intervention; E: Comparison of serum levels of INF-γ before and after five days of intervention; F: Comparison of serum levels of INF-γ/IL-4 before and after five days of intervention; Note: Compared with before intervention, *P<0.05, **P<0.01. Note: IgA: Immunoglobulin A; IgG: Immunoglobulin G; IgM: Immunoglobulin M; IL-4: Interleukin-4; INF-γ: Interferon gamma.

Figure 2

Comparison of Serum levels of inflammatory factors between the two groups before and five days after intervention. A: Comparison of serum levels of IL-6 between the two groups; B: Comparison of serum levels of IL-8 between the two groups; C: Comparison of serum levels of hs-CRP between the two groups; Note: Compared with control group after five days of intervention, *P<0.05. Compared with control group before intervention, ###P<0.001. Compared with observation group before intervention, +++P<0.001. Note: IL-8: Interleukin-8; hs-CRP: hs-C-reactive protein.