Clinical and Immunological Characteristics of The Course of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) continues to be a major health challenge and a leading cause of child mortality globally, particularly in ecologically unfavorable regions. In Uzbekistan, environmental, socio-cultural, and infrastructural disparities exacerbate CAP prevalence among children, while viral-bacterial shifts post-COVID-19 complicate its clinical course. Despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment, limited regional studies have explored cytokine profiles in young children with CAP, particularly in the Uzbek population of the Surkhandarya region, where genotyping and immune response data remain insufficient. This study aims to characterize the clinical features of CAP in children and investigate serum levels of IL-1β, IL-4, TNF-α, and interferons (α, β, γ), identifying their diagnostic and prognostic value.The study of 50 children revealed a predominance of acute clinical symptoms such as hyperthermia, dyspnea, and severe intoxication, accompanied by distinct cytokine imbalances, notably elevated IL-1β and IL-4 levels and significant shifts in interferon profiles, indicating a strong inflammatory response. This is the first immunogenetic investigation of pediatric CAP in the Surkhandarya region, highlighting the relationship between cytokine levels and disease severity, and offering a molecular perspective on the pathogenesis of CAP. Findings suggest cytokine profiling can inform early diagnostics, prognostics, and individualized immunomodulatory therapies, supporting improved clinical outcomes and rational antibiotic use in pediatric CAP.