A Comparison of Serum & Nasal Wash Fluid ECP According to Their Ages in Asthmatic Children

Kim, Lyoung Hee; Kim, Ae Suk; Kim, Seung Tae; Kang, Im Ju

Abstract

PURPOSE
Asthma features not only infiltration of various inflammatory cells including eosinophils into bronchus but increased bronchial hyperresponsiveness which comes from bronchial epithelial cells damaged by toxic granular protein like MBP and ECP released from the activated eosinophils. Recently, several authors have reported that nasal mucosa histologic findings are similar to an inflammatory change of lower airway in respiratory allergic diseases. Based on the latter, we performed this study to compare serum ECP with nasal wash fluid ECP by their ages and to find out contribution of eosinophils in infants and children with wheezing.
METHODS
The 62 patients in age from 6 months to 14 years who were admitted due to acute asthma from June 1995 to May 1996 were divided into 3 groups by their ages as follows : group A for less than 2 years old, group B for 2-4 years old and group C for 5-14 years old. The 32 children with no previous history of wheezing or no respiratory symptoms on admission were enrolled as control subject. Serum ECP & nasal wash fluid ECP from each age group with asthma were measured and compared with control, and the relationship between serum ECP and atopic findings were studied.
RESULTS
1) The geometric mean level of serum ECP were significantly higher in wheezing children than in control in all three age group as follows : 16.5+/-7.1micorgram/l for group A, 28.9+/-18.7micorgram/l for group B, 45.9+/-34.8micorgram/l for group C. 2) The geometric mean level of nasal wash fluid ECP were significantly higher in wheezing children than in control in all age group as follows : 11.3+/-7.1micorgram/l for group A, 21.3+/-15.2micorgram/l for group B, and 30.2+/-18.2micorgram/l for group C. 3) Serum ECP had correlation with nasal wash fluid ECP & blood eosinophils in group B and C, except group A.
CONCLUSION
On acute asthma attack, the mean ECP level of serum & nasal wash fluid from all children including infancy were significantly higher than control and this suggests that the role of eosinophils to airway inflammation in many wheezing infants may be the same as that in older children with asthma.