To analyze the correlation between the expression level of thymic stromal lymphopoietin and the recurrent wheezing in the children with bronchiolitis.

A total of 151 patients with bronchiolitis treated in our hospital from January 2015 to January 2017 were divided into a recurrent wheezing group (n=45 cases) and a control group (n=106 cases) based on whether recurrent wheezing occurred within 1 year after treatment. For all the patients, the general information, the respiratory distress assessment tool (RDAI score) and the pulse oxygen saturation, the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), urine leukotriene E4 (LTE4), the blood eosinophils cell cationic protein (blood ECP) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) were measured and compared. And Cox multivariate analysis was used to analyze the above-mentioned risk factors affecting recurrent wheezing, and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was applied to assess the diagnostic value and diagnostic efficacy of the related risk factors in predicting recurrent wheezing.

There was no significant difference in gender between the two groups. The age, birth weight, and pulse oxygen saturation of the patients with recurrent wheezing were significantly lower than those of the control group. The length of hospital stay, the number of patients with congenital heart disease, RDAI score, ICAM-1, urine LTE4, blood ECP and TSLP were significantly higher in the recurrent wheezing group than the control group (all P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that the higher RDAI score and the higher levels of ICAM-1, urine LTE4, blood ECP and TSLP levels were independent risk factors of recurrent wheezing (HR=1.323, 1.008, 1.003, 1.051, and 1.125, respectively, all P<0.05), and the uncomplicated congenital heart disease was a retaliatory factor (HR=0.117, P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that TSLP had a higher diagnostic efficacy in predicting relapse asthma (AUC=0.844), which was significantly higher than ECP, ICAM-1, urine LTE4, RDAI score and congenital heart disease (Z=3.143, 2.683, 3.173, 3.251, 5.532, respectively, all P<0.05). Among them, the optimal cut-off point for TSLP diagnosis was>54, and at this time point, the sensitivity of TSLP diagnosis in predicting recurrent wheezing was 75.6% and the specificity was 84.0%.

The TSLP level in children has a high diagnostic value and a predictive power in predicting whether children have recurrent wheezing.