100230 - Lack of association between plasma interleukin-6 levels and pediatric asthma severity

Asthma is the most common chronic inflammatory airway disease in children and represents a major global health burden. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in systemic inflammatory responses and has been proposed as a potential biomarker in several inflammatory diseases. However, data regarding its role and clinical relevance in pediatric asthma are limited and inconsistent.

This prospective observational case-control study included 32 asthmatic children and 30 healthy controls. Asthma severity was classified according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) criteria into mild, moderate, and severe forms. Plasma IL-6 levels were measured by chemiluminescence in all participants. 

Plasma IL-6 levels did not differ significantly between asthmatic children and healthy controls. No significant variation in IL-6 concentrations was observed across asthma severity groups or between allergic and non-allergic asthmatic patients. IL-6 plasma levels remained within low or undetectable ranges in the majority of participants, regardless of clinical severity.

In stable pediatric asthma, circulating IL-6 levels do not appear to reflect disease presence, severity, or allergic status. These findings suggest that IL-6 may have limited utility as a systemic biomarker in childhood asthma, highlighting the need for further studies to identify more reliable inflammatory markers in this population.