Serum Periostin Level as A Biomarker in Children with Chronic
Spontaneous Urticaria
Abstract
Background: Although various biomarkers exist for chronic
spontaneous urticaria (CSU), their use is limited, particularly in
children. Periostin is produced by dermal cells during skin barrier
damage and allergic inflammation. Methods: This cross-sectional
study aimed to compare serum periostin levels (SPL) between children
with CSU and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). The secondary
objective was to investigate the association between SPL and disease
severity using the Urticaria Activity Score-7 (UAS-7) questionnaire.
Results: Overall, 84 participants (CSU, 45; HC, 39) were
included in the study. There was no significant correlation between SPL
and UAS-7 scores of the patients. Patients receiving leukotriene
receptor antagonist plus antihistaminic had significantly lower SPL than
those receiving antihistaminic only (44.32 ± 20.18 vs. 61.33 ±
18.50; p=0.009). The mean SPL was significantly lower in the
patient group than in the control group (56.41 ± 20.32 ng/mL vs. 71.68 ±
20.36 ng/mL; p=0.001; Cohen’s d=0.750) (aOR: 0.964, 95% C.I.:
0.942-0.987, p=0.002). The receiver operating characteristics
(ROC) curve of the SPL was determined to be significant ( p =
0.001), and the area under curve (AUC) of the ROC curve was 0.705 (95%
C.I.: 0.593–0.817). Conclusion: Our study is the first to
measure SPL in children with CSU. The results indicated that children
with CSU had significantly lower SPL than the healthy controls. Although
no correlation was found between UAS-7 and SPL, those on more advanced
treatments showed significantly lower SPL. Hence, SPL may serve as a
promising biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring CSU in children.