Gender Aspects of the Impact of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Interleukin-5 on the Extracranial Hemodynamics in Children with Bronchial Asthma

Abstract

Background. An overview of domestic and foreign research literature shows that today the systematic scientific researches on the relationship between level of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and interleukin-5 in blood serum and the state of cerebral hemodynamics in children with asthma are lacking. The aim of the study was to establish the possible impact of neuropeptide VIP and interleukin-5 on the extracranial hemodynamics in children with asthma and to perform gender features of these indicators. Materials and methods. There was conducted the immunological study of blood serum neuropeptide VIP and interleukin-5 in 54 children with asthma, among whom there were 21 girls and 33 boys aged 10–17 years old. The control group consisted of 20 healthy children, which was identical to the patients with asthma by the gender and age structure. The children were examined twice: at uncontrolled and controlled course of asthma. There was also carried out an ultrasound dopplerographic study of the main vessels of the head and neck in all groups of children. Results. Analysis of the levels of neuropeptide VIP and interleukin-5 revealed a gender dependence of their oscillations: neuropeptide VIP level was statistically lower and the level of interleukin-5 was higher in boys with uncontrolled course of asthma in comparison with healthy boys. In patients with controlled asthma course a negative impact on the extracranial hemodynamics is minimal both in girls and boys. Conclusions. The effective control of the disease course requires taking into account the extracranial hemodynamics changes in children with asthma depending on their gender, in order to avoid cerebrovascular complications in this group of patients.

Keywords

• bronchial asthma
• children
• neuropeptide VIP
• interleukin-5
• extracranial hemodynamics