β-CAROTENE INFLUENCE ON IMMUNE STATUS OF CHILDREN AFTER THYMECTOMY

<em>Surgical treatment of congenital heart disease is quite often accompanied by total or partial resection of thymus, due to heart access. Thymectomycan lead to various immunological abnormalities. 43 children aged 3 to 6 years, operated due to congenital heart disease with partial or total thymectomy, took part in the research. Immunological status was measured using tests of 1 and 2 levels after 1 and 2 years from the surgery. β-carotene treatment had positively influenced on changes in immunological status of children that underwent thymectomy, and that proposes immunomodulating activity of the medication under consideration and its use as a nonspecific immunomodulator in children.</em><br /> <strong><em>Key words: children, thymectomy, </em></strong><strong>β<em>-carotene, congenital malformations.</em></strong><br /> <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(<em><span><em><em><em>Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — </em></em></em></span></em></span></em><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Current Pediatrics. — 2011; 10 (5): 98–101.)</span>