[Serum levels of soluble CD25 (soluble interleukin 2 receptor) in asthmatic patients]

Serum sCD25 levels were measured in 64 asthmatic patients and 22 healthy subjects by enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay. Serum sCD25 levels in the asthmatic patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy subjects (p < 0.02). Serum sCD25 levels in the asthmatic patients during attack were slightly higher than in those in remission, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. We studied changes of serum sCD25 level in 13 asthmatic patients in remission and during attack and found that serum sCD25 levels were significantly higher during attack than in remission (p < 0.02). Serum sCD25 levels in the asthmatic patients undergoing steroid therapy were significantly lower than in those who were not (p < 0.05). The significance of serum sCD25 in bronchial asthma still remains unclear, but these results suggest that T cells play an important role in bronchial asthma.