RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most prevalent inflammatory disorders among children in Saudi Arabia. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the correlation between the serum levels of vitamin D, immunoglobulin E (IgE), and cytokine (interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-35, and IL-37) in relation to the severity of disease in patients with asthma. METHODS: This case-control study was carried out at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital, Saudi Arabia, and included 48 patients with asthma and 47 matched controls, aged 6-14 years. A validated questionnaire was administered to the participants, after which each patient with asthma underwent pulmonary function tests. The serum levels of vitamin D, IgE, IFN-γ, IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-35, and IL-37 of each participant were also measured. RESULTS: Patients with asthma demonstrated significantly higher IgE and cytokine (IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-35, and IL-37) levels compared to the control group (p value < .001). The levels of IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 were consistently positively correlated with the serum levels of IgE among patients with asthma. However, the IgE levels in patients with asthma were consistently negatively correlated with IL-35 and IL-37. CONCLUSIONS: We found significantly higher levels of eosinophils, IgE, IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-35, and IL-37 in patients with asthma compared to the controls, but no relationship between vitamin D and asthma.
