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.