Correlation between CD23 expression on white cell′s surface and IgE in asthmatic children

Objective To study the relations between CD23 expression on peripheral blood B lymphocytes and IgE in asthmatic children and their pathogenesis. Methods CD19 +, CD23 +, CD19 +/CD23 + expressions of peripheral blood lymphocytes were measured by flow cytometry and serum total IgE level by chemiluminescence immunoassay in 22 children with classical asthma, 18 cough variant asthma (CVA), 20 with asthmatiod bronchitis ,20 with pneumonia and 25 healthy controls. The correlations between CD23 expression on peripheral blood B lymphocytes and IgE in serum were analysed. The 20 children with asthmatiod bronchitis were divided into two groups by the scores whether it reached that for diagnosing asthma after ten months: Group Ⅰ (10 cases) and Group Ⅱ (10 cases). Results CD19 +, CD23 +, CD19 +/CD23 + expressions on lymphcytes were significantly elevated in peripherial blood and serum IgE from children with classical asthma [(13.56±5.87)%,(26.56±7.61)%,(12 86±5.01)%, (12.67±7.56) μmol/L respectively] and CVA [(13.10±5.15)% ,(24.66±8.15)% , (12 10±4.97)%, (9.45±4.16) μmol/L respectively] as compared with those in the children with pneumonia and healthy controls [(7.95±3.65)%, (14.92±3.02)% ,(6.82±2.95)% , (3.10±1.68) μmol/L respectively] ( P 0.01). The positive correlation between CD19 +, CD23 +, CD19 +/CD23 + and IgE was presented. All parameters in the asthmatiod bronchities Group Ⅰ were significantly higher than those of patients with pneumonia and controls. There were no differences between the Group Ⅱ and the patients with pneumonia and controls. Conclusions CD23 expression on B lymphocytes plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. The pathogenesis of asthmatoid bronchitis is same as that of asthma . The detection of CD23 expression on B lymphocytes may provide some important information for early diagnosis of asthma in patients with asthmatoid bronchitis.