Abstract
Methods: Urinary eosinophil protein X (uEPX) and serum total IgE (IgE) levels were measured in children admitted to hospital with PVW, and uEPX was measured 6 weeks after discharge. Two years after admission, current wheeze in children aged ⩾5 years was determined by questionnaire. Controls were recruited from children undergoing elective surgery (normal controls) and from those with skin prick test reactivity to foods (atopic controls).
Results: There was no difference in uEPX levels between normal controls (n=15) and atopic controls (n=8). uEPX levels were increased in children with acute PVW (n=84; p<0.001 v normal controls, p<0.01 v atopic controls) and fell on convalescence (n=20, 95% CI -217 to -31 µg/mmol creatinine, p<0.05). In children with acute PVW there was no association between uEPX and serum IgE levels or markers of clinical severity. Respiratory questionnaires were returned for 25/55 eligible children. There was no difference in uEPX level during acute PVW when stratified by "current wheeze" (n=18) or "no wheeze" (n=7) 2 years later.
Conclusions: Systemic eosinophil activation is associated with PVW but is not associated with serum IgE, clinical severity, or persistence of wheeze into the early school age period.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (302.5 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Cloutier Michelle M. Neutrophils or eosinophils in young children with wheezing: which comes first? Chest. 2002 Sep;122(3):761–763. doi: 10.1378/chest.122.3.761. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jilma B., Voltmann J., Albinni S., Stohlawetz P., Schwarzinger I., Gleiter C. H., Rauch A., Eichler H. G., Wagner O. F. Dexamethasone down-regulates the expression of L-selectin on the surface of neutrophils and lymphocytes in humans. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1997 Nov;62(5):562–568. doi: 10.1016/S0009-9236(97)90052-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Koller D. Y., Halmerbauer G., Frischer T., Roithner B. Assessment of eosinophil granule proteins in various body fluids: is there a relation to clinical variables in childhood asthma? Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 Jun;29(6):786–793. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2222.1999.00546.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lee N. A., Gelfand E. W., Lee J. J. Pulmonary T cells and eosinophils: coconspirators or independent triggers of allergic respiratory pathology? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001 Jun;107(6):945–957. doi: 10.1067/mai.2001.116002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Oommen A., Grigg J. Urinary leukotriene E4 in preschool children with acute clinical viral wheeze. Eur Respir J. 2003 Jan;21(1):149–154. doi: 10.1183/09031936.02.00021202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pucci N., Lombardi E., Novembre E., Farina S., Bernardini R., Rossi E., Favilli T., Vierucci A. Urinary eosinophil protein X and serum eosinophil cationic protein in infants and young children with atopic dermatitis: correlation with disease activity. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2000 Feb;105(2 Pt 1):353–357. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(00)90087-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Robinson D. S., Assoufi B., Durham S. R., Kay A. B. Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil protein X (EPX) concentrations in serum and bronchial lavage fluid in asthma. Effect of prednisolone treatment. Clin Exp Allergy. 1995 Nov;25(11):1118–1127. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1995.tb03259.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rylander E., Eriksson M., Freyschuss U. Risk factors for occasional and recurrent wheezing after RSV infection in infancy. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1988 Sep;77(5):711–715. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1988.tb10735.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Saarinen U. M., Juntunen K., Kajosaari M., Björkstén F. Serum immunoglobulin E in atopic and non-atopic children aged 6 months to 5 years. A follow-up study. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1982 May;71(3):489–494. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1982.tb09457.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sahid El-Radhi A., Hogg C. L., Bungre J. K., Bush A., Corrigan C. J. Effect of oral glucocorticoid treatment on serum inflammatory markers in acute asthma. Arch Dis Child. 2000 Aug;83(2):158–162. doi: 10.1136/adc.83.2.158. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stevenson E. C., Turner G., Heaney L. G., Schock B. C., Taylor R., Gallagher T., Ennis M., Shields M. D. Bronchoalveolar lavage findings suggest two different forms of childhood asthma. Clin Exp Allergy. 1997 Sep;27(9):1027–1035. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1997.tb01254.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Storm van's Gravesande K., Mattes J., Grüntjens T., Kopp M., Seydewitz H. H., Moseler M., Kuehr J. Circadian variation of urinary eosinophil protein X in asthmatic and healthy children. Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 Nov;29(11):1497–1501. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2222.1999.00731.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Taussig Lynn M., Wright Anne L., Holberg Catharine J., Halonen Marilyn, Morgan Wayne J., Martinez Fernando D. Tucson Children's Respiratory Study: 1980 to present. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Apr;111(4):661–676. doi: 10.1067/mai.2003.162. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Weinberger Miles. Consensus statement from a conference on treatment of viral respiratory infection-induced asthma in young children. J Pediatr. 2003 Feb;142(2 Suppl):S45–S46. doi: 10.1067/mpd.2003.26. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wojnarowski C., Halmerbauer G., Mayatepek E., Gartner C., Frischer T., Forster J., Kuehr J., Collaborative SPACE Team. Study on the Prevention of Allergy in Children in Europe Urinary leukotriene E(4), eosinophil protein X, and nasal eosinophil cationic protein are not associated with respiratory symptoms in 1-year-old children. Allergy. 2001 Sep;56(9):883–888. doi: 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00973.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]