[Measurement of serum eosinophil cationic protein levels in wheezing infants].

Many infants have episode of wheezing. Some infants will outgrow the condition in early childhood, but some of them will become asthmatic. However, it is difficult to predict whether the wheezing infant is subsequently likely to experience bronchial asthma. To determine whether eosinophil inflammation is present in wheezing infants and can predict the development of asthma, serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels were measured in 33 infants who could not be diagnosed typical asthma, and 11 controls. Serum ECP levels were higher in the infants who had asthma within 3 months follow-up period. In addition, all 17 infants with serum ECP levels above 20 ng/ml developed asthma within 3 months. The data suggested that serum ECP measurements appear to be useful for identifying infants with wheezing at high risk for infantile asthma.