Effects of body mass index and serum inflammatory cytokines on asthma control in children with asthma / 中国当代儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of body mass index (BMI) and the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines on asthma control in children with asthma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and sixteen children with asthma were divided into three groups normal (n=59), thin (n=31), and obesity (n=26) based on their BMI. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were determined using ELISA, and the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was measured by immunoturbidimetric assays. Asthma control status in each group was evaluated by the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) after 4 weeks of treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum levels of IL-6, hs-CRP, and TNF-α were highest in the obesity group, followed by the thin group and the normal group (P<0.05), while the C-ACT score was highest in the normal group, followed by the thin group and obesity group (P<0.05). The normal group had significantly higher complete controlled and partially controlled rates than the thin and obesity groups (P<0.05); however, there were no significant differences between the thin and obesity groups (P>0.05). The levels of IL-6, hs-CRP, and TNF-α were negatively correlated with the C-ACT score (P<0.05). There were no significant correlations of BMI with the C-ACT score and levels of IL-6, hs-CRP, and TNF-α (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>When BMI is too high or too low, the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines are all increased, which is harmful to asthma control. Maintaining a healthy weight in children with asthma may reduce the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and improve the asthma control rate.</p>