High Serum Periostin Levels Signify Poor Asthma Control in Children

Asthma – a common chronic disease in children, is characterized by type 2 airway inflammation. The emergence of biomarkers associated with the underlying airway inflammation is an active area of asthma research. 

The goal of a recent study was to investigate the relationship between serum periostin levels and asthma control in children. 

Here, children aged 6-17 years with diagnosed asthma and age-matched control children without respiratory issues were enrolled. 

Overall, 90 participants were selected with a mean age of 12.1 years, including 60 with asthma and 30 controls. The results revealed that children with asthma had significantly higher median (IQR) periostin levels. Multivariable analysis revealed elevated serum periostin levels were associated with poor asthma control. Other factors like age, body mass index (BMI), IgE levels, eosinophil count, forced expiratory volume in the first minute (FEV1), and the presence of allergic rhinitis did not show a significant association with asthma control.

Hence, asthmatic children tend to have higher serum periostin levels, and increased periostin levels were linked to poorer asthma control. The results suggest that periostin could potentially serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing inflammation in chronic diseases like asthma. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to better understand periostin's role in asthma etiology and its potential therapeutic implications for pediatric asthma treatment.

Source: Choudhary S, Kumar P, Banerjee M, Singh K, Goyal JP. Indian Pediatrics. 2023 May 30.