Levels of soluble CD30 in cord blood and peripheral blood during childhood are not correlated with the development of atopic disease or a family history of atopy.
BACKGROUND
The CD30 molecule has been linked to Th2 responses. Furthermore, elevated levels of the soluble form of CD30 (sCD30) in blood as well as of the expression of CD30 on the plasma membrane of T cells are associated with atopic disease.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the potential usefulness of sCD30 levels as a prognostic indicator of and/or diagnostic marker for the development of atopic disease in children.


METHODS
sCD30 levels in cord blood and peripheral blood from 36 2-year-old (10 atopic and 26 non-atopic) and 74 7-year-old (35 atopic and 39 non-atopic) children were determined employing an ELISA procedure. Atopy was diagnosed on the basis of clinical evaluation in combination with a positive skin prick test.


RESULTS
No significant correlation between sCD30 levels in cord blood and the development of atopic disease at 2 or 7 years of age was observed. At 7 years of age, the circulating sCD30 levels in children with atopic disease (median 41 U/mL, range 6-503 U/mL) did not differ from the corresponding values for non-atopic subjects (median 41 U/mL, range 8-402 U/mL). The same was true for children at 2 years of age. Furthermore, the sCD30 levels of children who had developed atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome by the age of 7 years (median 49 U/mL, range 14-503 U/mL) were not significantly elevated in comparison with those of the non-atopic children. Finally, neither sCD30 levels in cord blood nor peripheral blood at 2 or 7 years of age could be linked to a family history of atopy.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that the sCD30 concentration in cord blood is not a reliable prognostic indicator of, nor a useful diagnostic marker for, atopic disease in children up to 7 years of age. If such correlations do exist, they might be masked by age-dependent variations in the circulating levels of sCD30, which may reflect individual differences in the maturation of children's immunological responses.
Holmlund
U
U
Department of Medicine, Unit of Clinical Allergy Research, Karolinska Hospital and Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Ulrika.Holmlund@ks.se
Bengtsson
A
A
Nilsson
C
C
Kusoffsky
E
E
Lilja
G
G
Scheynius
A
A
Sverremark-Ekström
E
E
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D012995:Solubility
D015415:Biomarkers; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen