Increased eosinophil proportion is not associated with asthma exacerbation during mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children

Background: we used eosinophil proportion in the peripheral blood as the marker of a th2 dominant immune response,and investigated its relationship with asthma exacerbation in m. pneumoniae infected pediatric patients. we also investigated clinical characteristics that predict asthma exacerbation during m. pneumoniae infection. methods: a retrospective study of pediatric patients with asthma who were diagnosed as m. pneumonia infection. results: asthma exacerbations had been seen in 42 of187 patients. the peripheral blood eosinophil proportion was significantly elevated during m. pneumonia infection. however,patients with an asthma exacerbation did not have an elevated eosinophil proportion. prolonged fever and oxygen desaturation were commonly seen in patients with an asthma exacerbation. conclusions: m. pneumonia was associated with an elevation of peripheral blood eosinophil proportion. however,the elevated eosinophil proportion was not temporally associated with the asthma exacerbation. the only predictor of asthma exacerbation was desaturation during the first night of hospitalization. © 2015,pakistan pediatric journal. all rights reserved.