Serum interleukin‐2 receptor in infants and young children

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Abstract
Soluble interleukin‐2 receptor (IL‐2R) concentrations were measured in 110 serum samples from 102 children undergoing routine small bowel biopsy for a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms. Young children in the control group who had no gastrointestinal disease and a normal intestinal mucosa were found to have high concentrations of IL‐2R. There was a significant inverse relationship between IL‐2R concentration and age in the control group. Children with a gastrointestinal diagnosis appeared to have increased IL‐2R concentrations, although some of the diagnostic groups were too small in size for statistical analysis. Children with cow's milk sensitive enteropathy had IL‐2R concentrations equivalent to those of age‐matched controls. High concentrations of IL‐2R in young healthy children implies that serum IL‐2R is of no clinical use as an index of inflammation in this age group.