Blood Eosinophils as a Predictor of Acute Attacks of Asthma in Children

Abstract

Background: Childhood asthma represents a heterogeneous challenging disease, particularly in its severe forms. The identification of different asthma phenotypes has spurred further investigation into the underlying molecular mechanisms, including endotypes, and has opened the door to discovering specific biomarkers that could assist in diagnosing, managing, and predicting the treatment outcomes. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional hospital-based study carried out at the Pediatric Departments of Minia University. It was conducted upon 60 children known to be asthmatic; their age range was (3 -12) years. They were divided into 2 groups: Group I: It included 30 asthmatic children admitted to the Pediatric Department with asthma exacerbation diagnose according to GINA 2021; Group II: It included 30 stable asthmatic children. Results: There were statistically significant higher values of (TLC and eosinophil count) detected in the asthma exacerbation group than asthma stable group with p values (0.008, <0.001) respectively. Blood eosinophils have a significant moderate positive correlation with the number of asthma exacerbations (R=0.58, p value= <0.001), blood eosinophils have a significant moderate negative correlation with the asthma control status (R=-0.58, p value= <0.001), the highest values of blood eosinophils were in uncontrolled group (p value <0.001). Conclusion: Although the patients were treated with different therapies, elevated blood eosinophil levels were associated with a higher risk of future exacerbations in severe asthma. The underlying mechanisms of asthma flare-ups remain a key area of study.