Changes in plasma IL4, TNFá and CRP in response to regular passive smoking at home among healthy school children in Khartoum, Sudan.

BACKGROUND Regular exposure to tobacco smoke at home causes airway inflammation and altered cytokine regulation; however, there is variation between individuals of different countries. OBJECTIVE To determine effects of passive smoking on plasma IL4, TNFá, and CRP in healthy male school-children in Khartoum. METHODS A total of 135 male school-pupils (69 passive smokers and 66 non-smokers) were selected randomly from three primary schools for boys in Khartoum. Information about smoking history was collected from each pupil and his parents using a questionnaire. Plasma CRP, IL4 and TNFá were measured using commercially available ELISA kits. RESULTS Plasma IL4 and TNFá in the passive smokers (mean ± SEM) is at 2.92 ± 0.93 and 19.78 ± 4.67 pg/ml respectively; whereas in the non-smokers . It is at 0.45 ± 0.28 and 5.05 ± 1.54 pg/ml respectively. The difference between the two groups is statistically significant (p <0.05). The mean plasma IL4 and TNFá were lowest with no exposure, higher with moderate exposure, and highest with heavy exposure (P < 0.05). Plasma CRP showed insignificant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION Passive smoking causes significant rise in plasma TNFá and IL4 with a dose dependent effect among school-pupils in Khartoum.