Pediatric asthma biomarkers in relation to mental disorders of asthmatic children and their caregivers

Abstract

Background

Pediatric bronchial asthma as a chronic airway inflammatory disorder has a significant impact on asthmatic children both biologically and psychologically. On the other hand, parental stress and depression has been linked to pediatric asthma and claimed to play an important role in its morbidity.

Objectives

Assessment of pediatric asthma biomarkers as parameters of disease severity in relation to mental disorders of an Egyptian sample of asthmatic children and their caregivers.

Methodology

The current cross-sectional study comprised 60 Egyptian asthmatic children as Group I and 35 clinically healthy children of comparable age and sex as Group II. Thorough clinical evaluation and psychometric assessment were carried out for all enrolled children and their caregivers. In addition, pulmonary function testing and measurement of esinophilic count, IL-5, and total IgE were carried out for children of both studied groups.

Results

Enrolled asthmatics had significant elevation of all studied asthma biomarkers with significant reduction of measured pulmonary functions compared to controls. Furthermore, asthmatics had significantly more encountered poor self-esteem, clinically manifest anxiety, and psychosocial impairment compared to controls. Meanwhile, parents of studied asthmatics had higher frequency of severer grades of clinically manifest isolation, anxiety, depression, and stress. Strikingly, the severer the asthma, the more the elevation of studied asthma biomarkers, the severer the asthmatic child's and caregivers’ anxiety and depression, and the more the caregivers’ isolation and stress.

Conclusion

Pediatric asthma biomarkers as parameters of disease severity has been proven to be linked to mental health impairment of asthmatic children and their caregivers.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.