The Association of Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation in Mycoplasma pneumonia and Asthma

Choi, Jungi; Koh, Ji Yeon; Kim, Hyo Bin; Kim, Chang Geun

Abstract

PURPOSE:To investigate whether airway eosinophilic degranulation develops in Mycoplasma pneumonia (M. pneumonia), and to elucidate the association between M. pneumonia and asthma.
METHODS
Forty patients with M. pneumonia, 20 stable asthma patients (stable asthma) and 20 normal controls were recruited from October 2005 to February 2007. In the M. pneumonia, blood and induced sputum sampling were collected at admission (acute stage) and 6 to 8 weeks later (convalescent stage). Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels in sputum and serum were measured in all 3 groups.
RESULTS
Serum levels of EDN and ECP in the acute stage of M. pneumonia were comparable to those in the stable asthma group. However, in the convalescent stage of M. pneumonia, EDN and ECP levels were significantly lower than in the stable asthma (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Sputum levels of EDN and ECP levels in the acute stage of M. pneumonia were comparable to those in the stable asthma. Sputum EDN levels in the convalescent stage of M. pneumonia were significantly lower than those in the stable asthma (P<0.05), and sputum ECP levels were lower than those in the stable asthma, which was not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION
Eosinophilic degranulation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of M. pneumonia, which suggests the association between M. pneumonia and asthma.