Korean J Allergy.  1997 Sep;17(3):260-269.

Peripheral eosinophil counts and serum eosinophil cationic protein levels in bronchial asthma patients

• Hong CS
• Park JW
• Kim CW

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the clinical implications of serum ECP and peripheral blood eosinophil counts as indices of airway inflammation during the follow-up of asthmatics (BA).
METHODS
We repeatedly measured the serum ECP, peripheral blood eosinophil counts and peak expiratory low rate (PFR) during the follow up of 24 symptomatic BA.
RESULTS
Mean serum ECP level of BA at uncontrolled status of airflow limitation was significantly higher than that of controlled state (24.5i3.7 ng/ml rs. 16.2+1.9 ng/ml, p<0.05) and the ECP levels of controlled and uncontrolled status were significantly higher than that of health control subjects (n=10, 10.1+/-2.0 ng/ml, p<0.01 respectively). Pe ripheral blood eosinophils were also significantly increased in uncontrolled status than in controlled status of BA (535.7+/-81.0/1tL vs. 300.4+33.4/micro liter, p < 0.05). In controlled status, 8 BA had higher circulating ECP levels than in uncontrolled status, but with peripheral blood eosinophil counts, only 3 BA had higher levels in controlled status than in uncontrolled status. Variations of PFR correlated with the variations of serum ECP level (r=-0.5370, p<0.01) and variations of peripheral blood eosinophil count (r=-0.6215, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION
Measurement of serum ECP and peripheral blood eosinophil count would be useful tools for monitoring the disease activity of asthma, but we could not obtain any more informations from the measureinert of serum ECP levels than from the peripheral blood eosinophil counts.

MeSH Terms

Asthma*
Eosinophil Cationic Protein*
Eosinophils*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Inflammation
Eosinophil Cationic Protein