J Asthma. 2003 Dec; 40(8): 847-54.  Related Articles, Links  

Serum total antioxidant status in severe exacerbation of asthma: correlation
with the severity of the disease.

Katsoulis K, Kontakiotis T, Leonardopoulos I, Kotsovili A, Legakis IN, Patakas
D.

Pulmonary Department, General Army Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Oxidative processes, mediated by oxygen free radicals are recognized to
contribute significantly to the inflammatory pathology of bronchial asthma. An
imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants has also been proposed in this
disease. This study examines the serum total antioxidant status (TAS) in
asthmatic patients with severe exacerbation of their disease and the probable
correlation with clinical or laboratory findings. The TAS was measured in 20
patients (10 men and 10 women, with a mean age of 41.95 +/- 20.75 years), using
a colorimetric method. On the days of admission and discharge, the forced
expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), the partial arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2),
and severity criteria were recorded and correlated with TAS at the same time.
The TAS was also measured in 10 healthy subjects (8 men and 2 women, mean age
of 39 +/- 9 years). A statistically significant decrease of TAS was observed on
admission day compared to that on discharge day (0.98 +/- 0.08 vs. 1.12 +/-
0.17 mmol/L, p < 0.001, respectively, paired t-test) suggesting the presence of
oxidative stress during an asthma attack. The TAS on admission was also
statistically significantly decreased compared to that of normal subjects (0.98
+/- 0.08 vs. 1.19 +/- 0.09 mmo/L, p < 0.001, respectively, paired t-test). A
statistically significant correlation was observed between FEV1 change and TAS
change, from admission to discharge day (r = 0.58, p = 0.007, Pearson
correlation). Finally, a statistically significant correlation was found
between FEV1 change and TAS on discharge day (r = 0.65, p = 0.002). Decreased
TAS was found during an asthma attack, probably as a consequence of increased
oxidative stress. The TAS change was correlated with severity criteria, such as
FEV1. Therefore, it seems that measurement of TAS could be a simple and useful
tool in the evaluation of an asthma attack. The supplementary administration of
antioxidants in future needs further clarification.

PMID: 14736084 [PubMed - in process]

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