Elevated serum KL-6 in pediatric asthma exacerbation: a proof of alveolar injury | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology | ||
| Article 5, Volume 18, Issue 1, April 2020, Pages 35-39 PDF (139.67 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejpa.2020.81767 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Iman Draz* 1; Iman A. Shaheen2; Eman A. Youssef2 | ||
| 1Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. | ||
| 2Department of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Asthma is one of the most popular chronic diseases in children. It is defined as a complicated inflammatory disorder in which the patient suffers from chronic and persistent inflammation of the airways. The sialylated glycoprotein Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), one of the lung epithelium-specific proteins, has been recognized as a significant biomarker which directly associates with interstitial lung disease (ILD) pathogenesis, indicating the extent of damage and regeneration of type II pneumocytes. Objective: the aim of this study is to investigate the degree of alveolar damage in asthmatic children with acute exacerbation as reflected by serum KL-6 levels. Methods: This cross-sectional controlled study included 50 patients with acute asthma exacerbation diagnosed as per the GINA guidelines definition and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy children as controls. Spirometry was done for all participants. Serum KL-6 level was estimated by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and total serum IgE level was measured via the electrochemiluminescence technology. Results: The asthma patients included 35 (70%) males and 15 (30%) females with mean age of 10.76 ±1.9 years. Forty-seven patients (94%) had a positive family history of bronchial asthma and 32 (64%) had other atopic manifestations The mean serum KL-6 level in patients was more than double the mean level of the control group (115.79 vs 55.64). No significant relation was observed between KL-6 serum level and age, family history of asthma, seasonal variation, or atopic manifestation among the cases. Serum total IgE levels were significantly higher in cases compared to controls (P<0.05). Conclusion: Serum KL-6 levels in pediatric asthma patients may be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting and monitoring the severity of airway inflammation. The use of serum KL-6 alone may help to differentiate between asthmatic patients in exacerbation and healthy controls. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| pediatric asthma; KL-6; alveolar injury | ||
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