Immune biomarkers predicting bronchiolitis disease severity: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases
• Immunology
• Clinical Biomarkers

Background:

• Bronchiolitis is a major cause of infant hospitalization with unpredictable severity.
• Accurate prognostication is crucial for appropriate clinical management and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review immune biomarkers associated with bronchiolitis disease severity in infants.
• To identify reliable biomarkers for predicting and stratifying disease severity in young children.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major scientific databases.
• Included studies focused on immune biomarkers and bronchiolitis severity in children under 24 months.
• Data extraction and synthesis were performed on identified biomarkers and study characteristics.

Main Results:

• 90 studies identified 252 distinct immune biomarkers.
• 99 biomarkers showed a significant association with severity, but only 18 were significant in multiple studies.
• Significant heterogeneity in study definitions and conflicting results across studies were observed for candidate biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• The current evidence base for immune biomarkers in bronchiolitis is highly heterogeneous.
• Lack of consistent findings and consensus on definitions hinders clinical utility.
• Further standardized research is needed to validate biomarkers for predicting infant bronchiolitis severity.