Study of serum osteopontin levels in children with bronchial asthma in Egypt

Abstract

Background Asthma is as an airway inflammation that results from interactions between various cells, cellular elements, and cytokines, which causes symptoms that include wheezing, breathlessness, and cough. Osteopontin (OPN) is a glycoprotein highly expressed in the bone and in a range of immune cells. It has chemotactic properties which promote cell recruitment to inflammatory sites and cytokine production. OPN affects IgE-mediated degranulation and migration of mast cells and other inflammatory cells taken together; these findings suggest a potential role for OPN in the regulatory pathway of asthma. Aim To measure the serum OPN level in asthmatic children to clarify its relation to bronchial asthma. Patients and methods The study was carried out on 60 asthmatic children aged 6–14 years. They were diagnosed and followed up in the Chest and Allergic Diseases Unit, Pediatric Department, Tanta University Hospital. Thirty asthmatic children were studied during acute exacerbation and 30 asthmatic children in clinically stable condition. Thirty healthy children were served as a control group. Pulmonary function tests and serum OPN level were done for patients and controls. Results The OPN levels were significantly higher in the asthma patients than controls. However, there was no statistically significant difference in OPN levels in asthma patients in stable conditions and those during exacerbations. Conclusion The present study has shown that asthma patients exhibit higher serum OPN levels than controls, suggesting a role for this protein in the pathogenesis of asthma that may help in the diagnosis of the disease.