Abstract
We investigated the relationship between the frequency of the common cold and the conditions of the body’s immune system among members of a generally healthy population. Self-reporting questionnaires on the frequency of the common cold and on fatigue and stress conditions were administered to a total of 67 healthy individuals aged 22 to 50. The activities of natural killer (NK) cells, which were determined by Eu3+-DTPA release assay, and of NK cell members in the peripheral blood of the subjects were phenotypically (CD3 CD16+ CD56+) analyzed with three-color flow cytometry. The results showed that the frequency of the common cold was significantly correlated with NK activity and NK subset (CD3-CD16+ CD56+) frequency (r=—0.34 and—0.47 respectively, P<0.01). After adjusting for age, the mean NK subset (CD3-CD16+CD56) significandy differed (F=3.384, P<0.05) among the four frequency groups for the common cold, and the frequencies of the common cold were significandy different among the four stress/fatigue groups (F=8.016, P<0.001) for the males, as evaluated by ANCOVA. These results indicate that conditions of high stress and fatigue may increase the chance of catching the common cold due to a decrease in activities of NK cells.
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Xu, M., Muto, T., Yabe, T. et al. The relationship between the frequency of the common cold and the activities of natural killer cells. Environ Health Prev Med 4, 212–216 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931260
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931260