Serum Periostin, A Promising Biomarker for Diagnosing and Assessing Allergic Rhinitis Severity

A pilot study has identified serum periostin as a potential biomarker for diagnosing allergic rhinitis (AR) and evaluating disease severity, suggesting its role in assessing airway inflammation.

The study involved 40 AR patients and 22 healthy controls, all over 18 years of age. Participants' serum levels of periostin, total IgE, specific IgE, and remodeling-related factors were measured, alongside assessments of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and nasal nitric oxide (FnNO).

Key findings include:

Serum periostin levels were significantly higher in AR patients compared to controls (p < 0.001).

A positive correlation was found between serum periostin and FeNO (r = 0.398, p = 0.012), FnNO (r = 0.379, p = 0.017), and ocular tearing (r = 0.351, p = 0.026).

Periostin levels were higher in moderate-to-severe AR patients compared to those with mild AR (p = 0.045).

The study found that serum periostin could moderately predict AR diagnosis, with an AUC of 0.773 (p < 0.001).

These results suggest that serum periostin may serve as a reliable biomarker for AR detection and a surrogate marker for evaluating airway inflammation, offering a potential tool for better management of AR patients.