Alteration in Salivary Components of Children with Allergic Asthma

Abstract

ABSTRACTAsthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway causing recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Salivary analysis of oral inflammatory and local humoral immune response should give additional information on the role of salivary components in asthmatic children.This study aimed to evaluate the oral inflammatory and humoral immune status in children with allergic asthma. Samples of unstimulated whole saliva from 32 children with allergic asthma (14 patients treated with corticosteroids and 18 patents treated only with antihistamines) and 20 control children were analyzed for salivary levels of total protein, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin, determinated by colorimetric, radial immunodiffusion and imunoturbidimetry methods.Salivary CRP and haptoglobin were significantly higher amoung children with allergic asthma compared to controls. Lower sIgA and elevated levels of CRP were found in allergic children treated with corticosteroid. Salivary level of IgG, haptoglobin and CRP were significantly higher in allergic patients treated with antihistamine compared to healthy children. Children under corticosteroid therapy showed lower level of sIgA compared to asthmatic children under antihistamine therapy. A significant correlation between total protein/haptoglobin and IgG/sIgA for children with allergic asthma was found.The results suggest that the higher salivary levels of CRP and haptoglobin may be an answer to allergic inflammation and severity of asthma.