Peer-reviewed article
Exploratory analysis of immune profiles in 2- to 3-year-old children with growth stunting.
Fajrunni'mah R, Sadikin M, Wibowo H, Gunarti DR ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined immune system markers in children aged 2 to 3 years with and without growth stunting. Researchers measured antibodies, T cells, and inflammatory markers in blood samples from both groups. Children with stunting showed higher levels of certain immune markers, particularly IL-6 and IgG3, suggesting inflammatory changes may be associated with poor growth. The findings are preliminary and require confirmation in larger studies.
Key points
- Unadjusted analyses found higher IgM, IgG2, IgG3, IL-6, and IL-6/IL-10 ratios in stunted children compared to non-stunted children (p ≤ 0.05)
- After correction for multiple comparisons, no biomarkers achieved conventional statistical significance, though IL-6 and IgG3 approached exploratory thresholds
- IL-6 remained associated with stunting in adjusted models (AOR 1.731; 95% CI 1.044-2.870)
- Children with concurrent high IL-6 and high IgG3 showed substantially elevated odds of stunting (OR 9.56-18.7)
- The authors describe these as 'inflammatory-humoral activation signatures' in stunted children
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study, so it cannot establish whether immune changes cause stunting or result from it. The country where the study was conducted is not specified in the document, and no intervention was evaluated.
Abstract
Background Growth stunting, which is associated with metabolic and immunological changes, remains a concerning global challenge. However, the etiology and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain elusive. Objectives This study was aimed at exploring humoral, cytokine, and T-cell immune profiles in children 2-3 years of age, with or without stunting. Methods A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted among children with or without stunting. Antibody isotypes (IgM, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA, and IgE) were measured with a ProcartaPlex Human Antibody Isotyping Panel 7-Plex kit. Proportions of T lymphocytes and Tregs were determined through flow cytometry. Cytokine levels (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) were measured with a human cytokine kit, read with an x-MAP (Luminex200) instrument. Group differences were analyzed with t-tests or Mann-Whitney tests. False discovery rate (FDR) correction was applied. Multivariable logistic regression provided adjusted odds ratios (AORs). ROC-derived cut-off points were used for exploratory quadrant analysis of significant biomarkers. Results Unadjusted analyses indicated higher IgM, IgG2, IgG3, IL-6, and IL-6/IL-10 ratios in children with rather than without stunting (p ≤ 0.05). After FDR correction, no biomarkers achieved conventional significance. However, several markers, including IL-6 and IgG3, approached the exploratory threshold (FDR < 0.20) commonly accepted in hypothesis-generating immunological analyses. In multivariable models, IL-6 remained associated with stunting (AOR 1.731; 95% CI 1.044-2.870), and IgG3 showed the largest effect estimate (AOR 4.055; 95% CI 0.813-20.226), despite non-significance. Quadrant analysis demonstrated substantially elevated odds of stunting in children with concurrent high IL-6 and high IgG3 (OR 9.56-18.7). Conclusion Exploratory analyses indicate biologically plausible inflammatory-humoral activation signatures in children with stunting, warranting confirmation in larger longitudinal studies.