The serum YKL-40 is a useful biomarker for asthma

Abstract

Introduction: A growing number of studies are focused on identifying biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and better monitoring of asthma. Previous studies suggested that the chitinase-like protein YKL-40 has been implicated in inflammation and tissue remodeling. In recent years, some studies demonstrated that YKL-40 may be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma, and may be a useful marker for asthma. However, these studies were inconclusive. Objectives: The study aims to investigate the role of YKL-40 in patients with asthma by the meta-analysis. Methods: The standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the effect sizes. Results: In total, 23 articles (27 case-control studies) included in the meta-analysis. The overall results found that the serum YKL-40 levels in patients with asthma were higher than the levels in the control group (SMD=0.82, 95%CI=0.51-1.14). A subgroup analysis suggested that the serum YKL-40 concentrations were higher in severe asthma than non-severe asthma (SMD=0.73, 95%CI=0.48-0.99). Moreover, another subgroup analysis indicated that the serum YKL-40 levels were higher in exacerbation group than stable group (SMD=1.06, 95%CI=0.51-1.60). The result of sensitivity analysis found that the pooled SMD were not materially altered. However, there is a little publication bias was found in the Egger’s test (P=0.01). Conclusions: The current meta-analysis suggests that the YKL-40 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma and its serum levels may correlate with exacerbation attacks and severity. Therefore, the serum YKL-40 may be a potential biomarker in patients with asthma.