[Association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and severity of asthma in children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the serum level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the severity of asthma in children.

METHODS: A total of 60 children with acute exacerbation of asthma were enrolled and divided according to the severity of the disease into mild group (n=18), moderate group (n=25), and severe group (n=17). Sixty healthy children were enrolled as controls. ELISA was used to measure the serum BDNF level in each group and the association between serum BDNF level and the severity of asthma was analyzed.

RESULTS: The asthmatic children at the acute exacerbation and remission stages had significantly higher serum BDNF levels than healthy controls (P<0.05). The serum BDNF level was significantly reduced in the remission stage compared with that in the acute exacerbation stage in asthmatic children (P<0.05). The children with varying degrees of severity at the acute exacerbation stage had different serum BDNF levels: the severe group had the highest serum BDNF level and the mild group had the lowest level (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: BDNF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma and is related to the severity of the disease.