Protein a biomarker for severe asthma

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A protein measured in a simple blood test may be a new biomarker to identify patients with severe asthma, a team of U.S. and French researchers found.

The biomarker YKL-40 brings investigators closer to a treatment for those with a severe form of the disease that is difficult to treat, the researchers said.

The researchers evaluated serum levels of YKL-40 in 253 adults patients in three asthma and control groups at Yale University, the University of Wisconsin,and the University of Paris.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found increased circulating serum levels of YKL-40 in patients with asthma compared to those without disease.

Lead author Dr. Geoffrey Chupp of Yale University said blood levels of YKL-40 correlated with asthma severity, lung function, and thickness of the patients' bronchial wall.

"The results demonstrate that YKL-40 is significantly elevated in severe asthma," Chupp said in a statement. "Having a blood test to characterize asthmatics will be useful in pursuing asthma research and potentially in managing asthma."