Elevated Peripheral Blood IL-6 Levels: A Novel Biomarker for Assessing Inflammation and Exacerbation Risk in Pediatric Bronchial Asthma

Abstract

Aims: Pediatric bronchial asthma is a prevalent chronic inflammatory airway disease that causes significant morbidity and impacts daily life. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine related to systemic inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. Increasing evidence suggests that elevated IL-6 is associated with obesity, neutrophilia, and poor asthma control, but data in Vietnamese children remain limited. Study Design:  Prospective descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 59 pediatric patients with bronchial asthma aged over 5 years, treated at Can Tho Children's Hospital from April 2023 to July 2024. Methodology: IL-6 levels were quantified using a flow cytometry-assisted immunoassay with reagents and assay kits manufactured by Bio-Rad (USA). Evaluation of the association between elevated IL-6 concentrations and factors such as: BMI, leukocyte count, neutrophil count, CRP, number of annual hospitalizations, frequency of acute asthma exacerbations, and exacerbation severity. Statistical analyses used SPSS 25.0 with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results: The proportion of elevated IL-6 was 69.5% (41 out of 59 children). IL-6 elevation was significantly associated with overweight/obesity (p = 0.021), increased neutrophil counts (p = 0.047), elevated CRP levels (p = 0.028), and higher annual hospitalization and acute exacerbation frequencies (p = 0.011). The association between IL-6 and attack severity showed a non-significant but increasing trend (p = 0.156). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Conclusion: IL-6 is associated with systemic inflammation and asthma control, particularly among overweight and obese children. These findings highlight the potential clinical utility of IL-6 as a biomarker to guide personalized asthma management strategies, enabling earlier identification of high-risk children and more proactive monitoring of disease progression. Larger longitudinal and multicenter studies are needed.