Diagnosis of bronchial asthma in children by nasal eosinophils and its severity

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of nasal eosinophils (EOS) in children with bronchial asthma and its relationship with disease severity. Methods A total of 120 children with bronchial asthma who were treated in Xuzhou Medical University Affiliated Hospital of Lianyungang from June 2017 to December 2018 were selected as observation group. According to the degree of illness, patients in the observation group were further divided into intermittent group (n=53), mild group (n=44), moderate group (n=12), and severe group (n=11). A total of 60 healthy children were recruited as a control group. The EOS levels of nasal cavity were compared between the control group and different subgroups of the observation group. The diagnostic value of nasal EOS in children with bronchial asthma was investigated and was compared with that of EOS in induced sputum and peripheral blood. The correlation between nasal EOS and Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) score, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁), serum IgE and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was analyzed. Results The levels of nasal EOS in the subgroups of the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the levels of nasal EOS in the subgroups of the observation group were statistically different (P<0.05). The sensitivity of nasal EOS in the diagnosis of childhood bronchial asthma was 80.1%, and the specificity was 81.8%. The diagnostic value of nasal EOS was higher than that of EOS in induced sputum and peripheral blood EOS. Nasal EOS were negatively correlated with C-ACT score and FEV₁ value, and positively correlated with serum IgE levels and FeNO value. Conclusions The level of nasal EOS in children with bronchial asthma is positively correlated with the severity of the disease and can be used as an effective diagnostic indicator.