Premium
Periostin levels in children without respiratory disease
Author(s) -
O'Connell Patricia,
Gaston Benjamin,
Bonfield Tracey,
Grabski Theresa,
Fletcher David,
Shein Steven L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.24206
Subject(s) - periostin , medicine , asthma , confounding , extracellular matrix , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Background Periostin is a protein that serves as a downstream marker of the T‐helper type 2 (Th2) cell response. It may serve to identify drug‐responsive inflammatory phenotypes, particularly in children with asthma and possibly bronchiolitis. There are no published levels of periostin in healthy children <2 years of age, limiting interpretation of periostin levels in disease. We sought to explore the range of periostin levels of children <2 years without significant confounding illnesses. Methods Children undergoing clinically indicated phlebotomy or having a peripheral intravenous catheter inserted prior to general anesthesia or procedural sedation were enrolled. A 0.5 mL sample of blood was collected and frozen at −70°C. After thawing, periostin was measured with a Luminex assay (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN). Medical record review and/or parental interview elicited potential variables associated with periostin. Association was evaluated using Mann‐Whitney rank sum test, Kruskal‐Wallis ANOVA, and Spearman correlation as appropriate. Results Among 43 children (23 male, 20 female, age range 9‐15.7 months), periostin levels were inversely correlated to age ( r = −0.438, P = 0.003). Periostin levels also differed significantly between children <12mo (734.0 [576.6‐906.5] ng/mL), 12‐18mo (645.1 [363.8‐538.2] ng/mL) and >18mo (416.4 [363.8‐538.15] ng/mL) ( P < 0.001). Conclusion In our sample of relatively healthy patients <2 years old, periostin levels were inversely correlated with age and not dependent on other studied variables. However, further work is needed to establish normal periostin values in young children.