Relationship of asthma, atopy, and bronchial responsiveness to serum eosinophil cationic proteins in early childhood.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between atopy, asthma, and eosinophilic inflammation is less clear in early childhood than later in life.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the relationships between asthma, atopy, and serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), a biomarker of eosinophil activation, in 6-year-old children.

METHODS: Serum ECP levels were available from 968 six-year-old children who were part of a longitudinal birth cohort being assessed for asthma and atopy. Detailed clinical history and examination, lung function testing, methacholine challenge, and skin prick testing to 4 common allergens were undertaken. Subgroups of the children were compared by using t tests, ANOVA, chi 2 tests, and regression analysis.

RESULTS: One hundred ninety-one (19.7%) children had current asthma, with 114 (59.7%) of these being atopic. The mean serum ECP level for the entire group was 18.0 mug/L (range, 2.0-146.0 mug/L), with no difference between male and female patients. Serum ECP was higher in atopic children (20.5 +/- 18.4), those with asthma (22.4 +/- 19.6), and those with asthma and atopy (26.6 +/- 22.4; all P < .001 compared with children with no asthma or atopy [16.1 +/- 15.9]). Serum ECP levels were highest in children with severe asthma ( P < .001), especially in those with concurrent atopy. Severity of atopy, judged on the basis of wheal size or derived variables combining wheal size and the number of positive skin tests, was a major determinant of serum ECP. Heightened methacholine responsiveness was not associated with increased serum ECP levels.

CONCLUSION: The higher serum ECP levels seen in 6-year-old children with current asthma and more severe atopy suggest that atopy and eosinophilic inflammation are important in driving this clinical phenotype and that this might represent asthma that persists.