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[Relation between serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) level and asthma attack in children]
N Ishigaki1, C Masuhara, K Sakamaki
1Department of Pediatrics, Kyorin University School of Medicine.
Insights
Serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) levels can predict childhood asthma attacks. Lower sECP levels indicate fewer attacks, suggesting its use in monitoring allergy activity and treatment plans.
Area of Science:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Biomarker Research
Context:
- Childhood asthma management requires accurate prediction of exacerbations.
- Current methods for predicting asthma attacks have limitations.
- Serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) is a potential biomarker for allergic inflammation.
Purpose:
- To investigate the correlation between serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) levels and childhood asthma attack frequency.
- To evaluate the predictive value of sECP for asthma exacerbations.
- To determine the utility of sECP in monitoring disease activity and guiding treatment.
Summary:
- This study followed 339 children with asthma for 57 weeks, measuring sECP, blood eosinophils, and serum total IgE (tIgE).
- sECP levels significantly correlated with asthma attack frequency, blood eosinophil count, and tIgE.
- Lower sECP levels were associated with fewer asthma attacks, particularly in patients without other allergic diseases, suggesting predictive value for events within two weeks.
Impact:
- Serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) serves as a valuable objective marker for assessing allergic inflammation activity in childhood asthma.
- Periodic sECP measurement can aid clinicians in objectively monitoring symptom improvement and tailoring treatment strategies, including the use of medications like DSCG or BDP.
- The findings support the integration of sECP monitoring into routine clinical practice for enhanced childhood asthma management and prediction of exacerbations.
Abstract:
Serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) levels were measured in 339 patients with childhood asthma, and the clinical courses of these patients were followed for 57 weeks. While considering the history and characteristics of each patient, we examined the correlation between asthma attack frequency and sECP, blood eosinophil count, and serum total IgE (tIgE) to determine their usefulness in predicting asthma attacks. Among patients with no other allergic diseases, sECP levels in patients who had no asthma attacks two weeks before or after the measurement were significantly lower than those of patients who had attacks during the same four-week period. Among patients who had attacks, those patients with no attack for a year after the measurement were also found to have low sECP levels. Similarly, even among patients with asthma attacks and high sECP levels, there were cases where attacks were well controlled using nebulizer treatments with DSCG or BDP. The incident rate of attacks for patients with other allergic diseases and a low sECP was low. Yet, there was no common trend in patients with high sECP levels. Moreover, this study detected a significant correlation between sECP level and blood eosinophil count as well as between sECP level and serum tIgE. The most significant correlation with asthma attack frequency was sECP level. Thus, sECP level seems to reflect the allergy activity level, especially two weeks prior to and after the measurement. For patients without other allergic diseases, asthma attack prediction during the two weeks period after the measurement of sECP also seems possible. Therefore, periodic measurement of sECP level is useful in objectively monitoring the improvement of symptoms and establishing the treatment plan, including treatment with DSCG or BDP.