1316 Serum Ykl-40 and Assessment of Asthma Severity in Egyptian Children

Abstract

Background: Circulating YKL-40 levels regulatedby Polymorphisms in the CHI3L1 (chitinase 3-like 1-proteins) gene. This gene represents novel asthmasusceptibility gene. Furthermore, circulating YKL-40 levels correlated positively with thickening of thelung sub-epithelial basement membrane, frequencyof rescue inhaler use, and deterioration in pulmonaryfunction (PF) in European asthmatic ethnics. Methods: We quantified serum YKL-40 levels intwo groups of asthmatics: One group with mild tomoderate asthma, and one with severe asthma. Serum YKL-40 was measured by enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (Quidel). Clinical scoring of asthma severity by PediatricAsthma Score (PAS) and pulmonary functions wereperformed. Results: The circulating levels of YKL-40 weresignificantly elevated in severely asthmatic Egyptianchildren (151ng/ml) compared with the other group(72ng/ml). YKL-40 levels were correlated significantlyto PAS (r=0.34, p< 0.05), and to reduced pulmonaryfunction (r=0.32, p< 0.5). Conclusion: YKL-40 is found in increased quantitiesin the sera of severe asthmatics, and correlatedsignificantly to PAS and PF deterioration. YKL-40is considered a promising biomarker for asthmaseverity and pulmonary remodeling warrantingfurther study as a potential novel pathway to diseasemanagement.