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

摘要

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.