Chen Chun-Jen, Hung Miao-Chiu, Kuo Kai-Liang, Chung Jui-Lung, Wu Keh-Gong, Hwang Be-Tau, Tang Ren-Bin
Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
J Chin Med Assoc. 2008 Jan;71(1):37-9. doi: 10.1016/S1726-4901(08)70070-4.
To study the role played by eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia infection.
Pediatric patients aged 4 to 14 years old were divided into 3 groups, each consisting of 30 patients. Group 1 comprised patients with known M. pneumoniae infection. Group 2 comprised patients with asthma who were in a stable condition with no infection, acute asthma exacerbation or steroid use in the last 2 months. Group 3 consisted of healthy children and was designated the control group. The level of ECP in patients' serum was measured by an ECP radioimmunoassay kit.
There were 90 children enrolled in this study; 59 (65.56%) were boys and 31 (34.44%) were girls. Mean serum ECP levels between males and females was not significantly different (p = 0.544). The variance of serum ECP levels decreased as patient age increased, but there was no relationship between serum ECP level and patient age (gamma = 0.118, p = 0.267). Serum ECP levels were similar in both the M. pneumoniae-infected and asthma groups; serum ECP levels in the control group were less than the levels seen in the other 2 groups. The difference in serum ECP levels among the 3 groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001).
Both the children who had M. pneumoniae infection and the children with asthma had significantly increased serum ECP levels compared to normal healthy children. The elevated ECP levels found in the serum of patients with M. pneumoniae infection may be associated with damage to the respiratory epithelium and accelerated hypersensitivity in the respiratory system. Decreasing the serum level of ECP may potentially be a method of relieving symptoms in patients with M. pneumoniae infection. Additional studies are warranted to further validate this conclusion.
研究嗜酸性粒细胞阳离子蛋白（ECP）在支原体肺炎感染患者中所起的作用。
将4至14岁的儿科患者分为3组，每组30例。第1组包括已知感染肺炎支原体的患者。第2组包括哮喘病情稳定、在过去2个月内无感染、无急性哮喘发作且未使用类固醇的患者。第3组由健康儿童组成，作为对照组。采用ECP放射免疫分析试剂盒测定患者血清中ECP的水平。
本研究共纳入90名儿童；其中59名（65.56%）为男孩，31名（34.44%）为女孩。男性和女性的平均血清ECP水平无显著差异（p = 0.544）。血清ECP水平的方差随患者年龄增加而降低，但血清ECP水平与患者年龄之间无相关性（γ = 0.118，p = 0.267）。肺炎支原体感染组和哮喘组的血清ECP水平相似；对照组的血清ECP水平低于其他两组。3组之间血清ECP水平的差异具有统计学意义（p < 0.001）。
与正常健康儿童相比，肺炎支原体感染儿童和哮喘儿童的血清ECP水平均显著升高。肺炎支原体感染患者血清中ECP水平升高可能与呼吸道上皮损伤和呼吸系统超敏反应加速有关。降低血清ECP水平可能是缓解肺炎支原体感染患者症状的一种方法。需要进一步的研究来进一步验证这一结论。
