Raised serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor concentrations in cystic fibrosis patients with and without evidence of lung disease.

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R-CD25) concentrations were measured in the sera of 115 children with cystic fibrosis and 45 aged matched controls. Above the age of 4 years children with cystic fibrosis had significantly raised concentrations irrespective of disease status as judged by Shwachman score, lung function, or evidence of pseudomonas colonisation. It is believed that these data indicate that T lymphocyte activation can be detected before there is clinical evidence of lung inflammation due to infection in cystic fibrosis. They support the notion that early use of anti-inflammatory (immunosuppressive) drugs may have a role in delaying the progress of lung damage in cystic fibrosis.