Serum folate level and asthma exacerbation in Egyptian children / Nosaiba Elsaeed Abdelbadiae Telb ; Supervised Azza Kamal Abdelmageid , Christine William Shaker Basanti , Naglaa Fathy Elsalawy

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Pediatrics

Background: Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic disease affecting children. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by an obstruction of airflow. That may cause recurrent or persistent bronchospasm, which causes respiratory symptoms, limitation of activity, and flare-ups (attacks) that sometimes require urgent health care. Folate is an essential cofactor in the transfer of one-carbon moieties, it also aids in the formation of S-adenosylmethionine, a key molecule in DNA methylation. Because DNA methylation can affect gene expression there has been considerable interest in the role of folate in the pathogenesis of asthma. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of serum folate in asthmatic patients and to assess possible correlation between serum folate level and severity&/or frequency of asthma exacerbation. Patients and methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted on ninety children divided into two groups; forty five asthmatic children and equal number of healthy non asthmatic children as a control group. Both groups were comparable regarding age, sex and residence. Serum folate level was measured in both cases and controls and pulmonary function tests were performed for the asthmatic children by spirometry

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