Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun;35(6):e14172.
doi: 10.1111/pai.14172.

Urinary eosinophil-derived neurotoxin is associated with reduced lung function in pediatric asthma

Jimmy Omony  1   2 , Clemens Thölken  3 , Azam Salimi  4 , Kristina Laubhahn  2   5 , Sabina Illi  1   2 , Markus Weckmann  6   7 , Ruth Grychtol  8   9 , Klaus Friedrich Rabe  10 , Dominik Thiele  6   11 , Svenja Foth  12   13 , Stefanie Weber  12   13 , Folke Brinkmann  6   7 , Matthias Volkmar Kopp  6   7   14 , Gesine Hansen  8   9 , Harald Renz  4   15 , Erika von Mutius  1   2   5 , Bianca Schaub  2   5 , Chrysanthi Skevaki  4   13 ; ALLIANCE Study Group
Affiliations

Urinary eosinophil-derived neurotoxin is associated with reduced lung function in pediatric asthma

Jimmy Omony et al. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) is a biomarker for eosinophilic activation. Urinary (u) EDN may allow non-invasive monitoring of asthma, but clinical recommendations are lacking. We assessed the potential of uEDN as a marker of disease activity in pediatric asthma.

Methods: We assessed urine samples of 371 children from the German ALLIANCE study cohort, from which we had: 169 preschool wheezers (<6 years), 80 asthmatics (≥6 years), and 122 healthy controls using the ImmunoCAP™ EDN Assay. Creatinine (Cr)-adjusted uEDN values were analyzed using correlations, association tests, (non) parametric statistics, multiple linear, and multivariable regression.

Results: uEDN/uCr values were higher in atopic versus non-atopic preschool-aged subjects (p = .035) and associated with the sum of allergen-specific IgE in younger (r = 0.24, p = .003), and older subjects (r = 0.23, p = .043). uEDN/uCr was marginally a good determinant for atopy (p = .078, for subjects aged <6 years, and p = .058 for subjects ≥6 years). Children with the T2-high phenotype had higher uEDN/uCr (p < .001) versus T2-low-irrespective of using uEDN/uCr or blood eosinophils in combination to allergen sIgE for disease phenotyping. uEDN/uCr significantly correlated with reduced lung function among asthmatics (FEV1 z-scores: r = -0.30, p = .007, and FEV1/FVC z-scores: r = -0.24, p = .038). Using multivariable modeling, uEDN/uCr was an independent determinant of FEV1 (p = .038), and to a lesser extent, FEV1/FVC (p = .080).

Conclusions: uEDN/uCr may serve as a non-invasive biomarker for clinical features such as lung function in pediatric asthma. We highlight the utility of uEDN/uCr as a biomarker that can be easily assessed using widely available robust diagnostic immunoassays.

Keywords: T2‐high phenotype; atopy; biomarker; children; eosinophil‐derived neurotoxin; preschool wheeze.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Asher MI, Garcia‐Marcos L, Pearce NE, Strachan DP. Trends in worldwide asthma prevalence. Eur Respir J. 2020;56(6):2002094. doi:10.1183/13993003.02094-2020
    1. Asher MI, Rutter CE, Bissell K, et al. Worldwide trends in the burden of asthma symptoms in school‐aged children: global asthma network phase I cross‐sectional study. Lancet. 2021;398(10311):1569‐1580. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01450-1
    1. Aaron SD, Boulet LP, Reddel HK, Gershon AS. Underdiagnosis and Overdiagnosis of asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;198(8):1012‐1020. doi:10.1164/rccm.201804-0682CI
    1. Reddel HK, Bacharier LB, Bateman ED, et al. Global initiative for asthma strategy 2021: executive summary and rationale for key changes. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022;205(1):17‐35. doi:10.1164/rccm.202109-2205PP
    1. Kim CK, Callaway Z, Park JS, Kwon E. Utility of serum eosinophil‐derived neurotoxin (EDN) measurement by ELISA in young children with asthma. Allergol Int. 2017;66(1):70‐74. doi:10.1016/j.alit.2016.05.008