Elevated Saliva Pepsin Concentration as a Risk Factor for Asthma in Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Preliminary Study

Figures & data

Table 1 The Comparison of Baseline Information Between Asthma and Control Groups

	Asthma Group	Control Group	P
	n = 20	n = 20
Sex			1.000
Boy	17	16
Girl	3	4
Age (years old)	9.5±1.5	8.6±2.0	0.114
BMI (kg/m^2)	19.5±2.3	19.8±1.6	0.602
N-VAS	5.4±1.6	5.2±1.7	0.778

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; N-VAS, the severity of nasal symptoms evaluated by visual analogue scale.

Figure 1 The comparison of SPC values between the asthma group and the control group.

Table 2 FeNO Values, Lung Function Test Results, and C-ACT Scores of 20 Children in the Asthma Group and Their Correlations with SPC Values

	Asthma Group (n = 20)	Correlation Coefficient	P
FeNO	36.6±15.4	0.824	<0.001
FEV1/FVC	81.6±9.6	−0.707	<0.001
FEF50	64.5±18.4	−0.630	0.003
FEF75	46.1±10.9	−0.644	0.002
MMEF	57.8±15.8	−0.542	0.013
C-ACT	23.0±5.1	−0.734	<0.001

Abbreviations: SPC, saliva pepsin concentration; FeNO, fractional exhaled nitric oxide; FEV1/FVC, the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity; FEF50 and FEF75, forced expiratory flow at 50% and 75% of FVC; MMEF, the maximal mid-expiratory flow; C-ACT, the 7-item Childhood Asthma Control Test.

Table 3 Factors Independently Associated with FeNO Value, Lung Function Test Results, and C-ACT Score

	Parameter	Adjusted R^2	Coefficient	P
FeNO	SPC	0.679	0.153	<0.001
FEV1/FVC	SPC	0.500	−0.082	<0.001
FEF50	SPC	0.397	−0.140	0.003
FEF75	SPC	0.539	−0.150	<0.001
	N-VAS		4.063	0.046
MMEF	SPC	0.515	−0.229	<0.001
	N-VAS		7.801	0.013
C-ACT	N-VAS	0.603	−2.413	<0.001

Abbreviations: SPC, saliva pepsin concentration; N-VAS, the severity of nasal symptoms evaluated by visual analogue scale; FeNO, fractional exhaled nitric oxide; FEV1/FVC, the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity; FEF50 and FEF75, forced expiratory flow at 50% and 75% of FVC; MMEF, the maximal mid-expiratory flow; C-ACT, the 7-item Childhood Asthma Control Test.