INTRODUCTION
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood and type-2 airway inflammation is the major feature of the disease. The emergence of biomarkers associated with the underlying airway inflammation is an active research area in adults and children. Up to date, only a limited number of biomarkers have been routinely used in daily clinical practice in patients with asthma and there is still a need for a reliable biomarker not only for the prediction, diagnosis or follow-up of asthma, but also as a candidate target for the treatment options in the future (1).
Periostin is an extracellular matrix protein expressed in fibroblasts and airway epithelial cells and has emerged as a novel biomarker in the pathogenesis of T helper 2-type allergic diseases in the last years. Its role in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma has been highlighted in several adult studies. However, there are limited studies with inconclusive data about the clinical utility of periostin in children with asthma (2).
The aim of this study was to investigate the association of serum periostin levels with several clinical features in children with asthma.