Usefulness of serum biopterin as a predictive biomarker for childhood asthma control: A prospective cohort study

Publication date: Available online 5 October 2018

Source: Allergology International

Author(s): Saki Kasuga, Daijiro Kabata, Tomoko Sakaguchi, Satoshi Kudoh, Satsuki Nishigaki, Yusuke Higa, Shiori Fujikawa, Hiroko Fujitani, Ayumi Shintani, Takashi Hamazaki, Haruo Shintaku

Abstract

Background

Pteridines are metabolites of tetrahydrobiopterin, which serves as co-enzyme of nitric oxide synthase. We sought to investigate the usefulness of pteridines as biomarkers for childhood asthma control.

Methods

We conducted a single-center prospective cohort study involving 168 asthmatic children aged 4–17 years who visited the periodical asthma checkup program. Serum neopterin and biopterin levels were measured as pteridines at each visit along with measurement of FeNO, respiratory function tests, nasal eosinophil test, blood eosinophil count, and IgE level. We calculated coefficients for relation between pteridines and asthma control, which was assessed by questionnaires (JPAC: Japanese Pediatric Asthma Control Program).

Results

A total of 168 participants aged 10.3 ± 3.39 years (mean ± SD) with asthma were recruited. The participants in this study contained 58 patients (34.5%) of complete-controlled based on JPAC, 132 patients (76.0%) of well-controlled group based on GINA. FeNO and serum neopterin level did not correlate with following period's JPAC scores. In contrast, serum biopterin level significantly correlated with following period's JPAC total score (Coefficients 0.398; 95% CI 0.164 to 0.632; p value 0.001) and frequency of wheezing during exercise (Coefficients 0.272; 95% CI 0.217 to 0.328; p value < 0.001).

Conclusions

We found serum biopterin effected the following period's control status of asthmatic children, thus monitoring biopterin level will be a useful for management of asthma to adjust treatment.

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