Title: Autoantibodies in patients with asthma: is there a link between asthma and autoimmunity?

Authors: Theocharis G. Konstantinidis; Christina Tsigalou; Alexandros Bisiklis; Gioulia Romanidou; Eleni Konstantinidou; Theodore Parasidis; Theodora Gioka; Georgia Kampouromiti; Theodore C. Constantinidis; Dimitrios C. Cassimos

Addresses: Regional Public Health Laboratory (East Macedonia-Thrace), Andronikou 36, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Immunology Department of Microbiology Laboratory, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Microbiology Laboratory 'analysis', Orpheus 9, Komotini 69100, Greece ' General Hospital 'Sismanoglio' Komotini, Sismanoglou 45, Komotini 69100, Greece ' Immunology Department of Microbiology Laboratory, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Regional Public Health Laboratory (East Macedonia-Thrace), Andronikou 36, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Immunology Department of Microbiology Laboratory, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Immunology Department of Microbiology Laboratory, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection in Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece ' Paediatric Department, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece

Abstract: The objective of this study was to measure autoantibodies and the mean individual immune reactivity (IR) in children with asthma. The study group consisted of ten children with asthma and the control group of ten age-matched healthy subjects. In all patients IR and 24 autoantibodies (aAb) type G were measured by ELISA (Immunculus, Russia). The IR in asthmatics was 42% and was statistically significantly higher than this of control group 9% (p < 0.005). The level of aAbs (LuM, LuS, CoM and dsDNA) was also raised in the asthmatics. Anti-Adr aAbs was higher in one patient who required intense treatment for asthma with frequent use of corticosteroids. Anti-HMMP, insulin and IR aAbs were significantly lower in comparison to the control group (p < 0.05). This study confirms the high level of immunological activation in patients with asthma. The presence of autoantibodies implies that autoimmunity might have a role in the pathogenesis of asthma.

Keywords: immunoregulation; autoantibodies; immunoglobulin E; childhood asthma; children; immune reactivity; autoimmunity; child asthmatics; antibodies.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIS.2012.051244

International Journal of Immunological Studies, 2012 Vol.1 No.4, pp.376 - 387

Published online: 30 Aug 2014 *

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