Study of serum YKL-40 in children with bronchial asthma

Abstract

BackgroundSerum YKL-40 (chitinase-3-like-1) has recently been found to be either the cause or a biomarker for asthma. This study quantifies serum levels of YKL-40 in asthmatic children and evaluates the relationship between YKL-40 and asthma severity. MethodsWe quantified serum YKL-40 levels in two groups of asthmatic children (aged between 2 and 12years). Group 1 (n: 30) in between the attack (stable group) and group 2 (n: 30) during the exacerbation (acute attack group). Serum YKL-40 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIZA) Kits (WKEA MED SUPPLIES CORP). We measured blood eosinophils and peak expiratory flow rate for children >5years. ResultsSerum levels of YKL-40 were significantly elevated in the acute asthma group and in the stable asthma group compared to the control group (673.92±24.23ng/ml, 552.73±57.34ng/ml, 136.17±53.14) respectively, P<0.001. YKL-40 levels were correlated positively with blood eosinophils in the stable group (ρ=0.67, P<0.001) and in the acute attack group (ρ=0.76, P<0.001). It is inversely correlated with PEFR in the stable asthma group (ρ=−0.83, P<0.001) and in the acute asthma group (ρ=−0.88, P<0.001). ConclusionsSerum YKL-40 protein was found in increased quantities in patients with asthma in whom the protein level correlated positively with the severity of disease so our data concluded that YKL-40 could be a valuable biomarker for asthma diagnosis and prognosis.