PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - James Fingleton AU - Irene Braithwaite AU - Justin Travers AU - Darren Bowles AU - Rianne Strik AU - Rob Siebers AU - Cecile Holweg AU - John Matthews AU - Mark Weatherall AU - Richard Beasley TI - Serum periostin in obstructive airways disease AID - 10.1183/13993003.01384-2015 DP - 2016 May 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - 1383--1391 VI - 47 IP - 5 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/47/5/1383.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/47/5/1383.full SO - Eur Respir J2016 May 01; 47 AB - Serum periostin is a potential biomarker of response to therapies that target type 2 inflammation in asthma. The objectives of this study were to describe: 1) the distribution of serum periostin levels in adults with symptomatic airflow obstruction; 2) its relationship with other variables, including type 2 biomarkers; and 3) the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on periostin levels.Serum periostin levels were measured in a cross-sectional study exploring phenotypes and biomarkers in 386 patients aged 18–75 years who reported wheeze and breathlessness in the past 12 months. In 49 ICS-naïve patients, periostin levels were measured again after 12 weeks of budesonide (800 μg·day−1).The distribution of serum periostin levels was right skewed (mean±sd 57.3±18.6 ng·mL−1, median (interquartile range) 54.0 (45.1–65.6) ng·mL−1, range 15.0–164.7 ng·mL−1). Periostin was positively associated with exhaled nitric oxide (Spearman's rho=0.22, p<0.001), blood eosinophil count (Spearman's rho=0.21, p<0.001), and total IgE (Spearman's rho=0.14, p=0.007). The Hodges–Lehmann estimator (95% CI) of change in periostin level after ICS therapy was −4.8 (−6.7– −3.2) ng·mL−1 (p<0.001).These findings provide data on the distribution of serum periostin in adults with symptomatic airflow obstruction, the weak associations between periostin and other type 2 markers, and the reduction in periostin with inhaled corticosteroid therapy.Serum periostin levels may be a distinct marker of type 2 inflammation in adults with symptomatic airways disease http://ow.ly/XAKyK