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Local and systemic immunological parameters associated with remission of asthma symptoms in children

Susan Waserman1, Parameswaran Nair, Denis Snider

  • 1Departments of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. waserman@mcmaster.ca.

Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology : Official Journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|October 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Asthma remission is linked to reduced eosinophilic inflammation and lower type 1 cytokine production. These changes in immunological and clinical markers may explain why some children outgrow their asthma symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pulmonology
  • Allergy

Background:

  • Asthma remission triggers are not well understood.
  • Investigating immunological and clinical factors in childhood asthma resolution is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine cytokine and mediator changes in resolving asthma (RA) versus persistent asthma (CA) and controls.
  • To identify immunological markers associated with asthma symptom resolution in adolescents.

Main Methods:

  • Compared clinical parameters, sputum eosinophils, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytokine production in three adolescent groups: CA, RA, and controls.
  • Assessed methacholine airway hyperresponsiveness, sputum eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), and Interleukin-5 (IL-5).

Main Results:

  • Continuing asthma (CA) subjects exhibited higher airway hyperresponsiveness, sputum eosinophils, ECP, and IL-5 compared to resolving asthma (RA) subjects.
  • CA group showed increased production of type 1 cytokines (IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α) from PBMCs, while IL-4 and IL-5 levels were similar between CA and RA groups.
  • Resolving asthma (RA) was associated with reduced eosinophilic inflammation and lower type 1 cytokine expression.

Conclusions:

  • Decreased type 1 cytokine expression and reduced eosinophilic inflammation are associated with asthma symptom resolution.
  • These findings offer insights into the immunological mechanisms underlying asthma remission in adolescents.

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