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 during skin damage and 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 questionnaire and Urticaria Control Test.

Results: Overall, 84 participants (CSU, 45; HC, 39) were included in the study. There was no significant correlation between SPL and disease activity scores. Patients receiving leukotriene receptor antagonist plus antihistamines had significantly lower SPL than those receiving antihistamines 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. Those on more advanced treatments showed significantly lower SPL. Hence, serum periostin level may reflect immunological activity associated with CSU in children and warrants further investigation in future studies.