Functional status of ciliated epithelium in children with mild, moderate, and severe asthma

Abstract

Introduction: Structural and functional abnormalities in the airway epithelium may have a significant association with the pathophysiology of asthma. Objective: To compare the functional status of ciliated epithelium in children with mild, moderate and severe asthma. Methods: We obtained nasal ciliated epithelium in children aged 7-17 years with mild (n=35), moderate (n=39) and severe (n=16) asthma. Controls (n=17) were healthy children. Ciliary beat frequency (CBF), the proportion of cells with beating cilia, ciliary beat pattern and synchronism were evaluated using high-speed video microscopy. Results: CBF in asthmatic children was comparable with controls. The proportion of cells with beating cilia in mild, moderate and severe asthma was significantly decreased compared to controls (20 [9-35]%, 20 [16-48]%,18 [5-28]%, 60 [50-70]% respectively, P Conclusion: The functional status of ciliated epithelium is disturbed in asthmatic children independently of the severity of the disease. Even in mild asthma, there is a significant decrease in the number of active cells. These findings may reflect the peculiarities of the epithelium in asthmatics and contribute to the development of new strategies of asthma treatment with a focus on the respiratory epithelium. These data are consistent with current guidelines to prescribe anti-inflammatory controller medications even for patients with mild asthma.