Biochemical and electrophoretic study for diagnosis of the disease stage in patients with asthmatic bronchitis

Abstract

Background Asthmatic bronchitis is a chronic allergic airway disease diagnosed after development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms. This study was designed to reveal relation of the different electrophoretic patterns to impairment of the lung functions in patients with asthmatic bronchitis. Materials and methods Patients were categorized into patients at mild stage (n = 10) and those at severe stage (n = 12) in comparison to healthy group (n = 21). The major blood components, arterial blood gases and electrolytes were immediately assayed in addition to assessment of liver enzymes and kidney functions. The pulmonary indices including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), ratio of FEV1 to FVC and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) were assayed. Furthermore, protein, lipid and calcium moieties of native protein patterns in addition to isoenzemes were electrophoretically detected. Results It was found that liver and kidney functions were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated in asthmatic bronchitis patients. Ca2+ is the only electrolyte that decreased significantly (P < 0.05) at the severe stage. Electrophoretic patterns showed that asthmatic bronchitis disease at mild and severe stages were physiologically similar to control by 54.5 and 75.6% (protein), 73.1 and 41.6% (lipid moiety), 66.4 and 30.6% (calcium moiety), respectively. As regards to electrophoretic isoenzymes, the disease at mild and severe stages were similar to control by 95.2 and 35.4% (catalase (CAT)), 40.1 and 50.5% (peroxidase (POX)), 67.9 and 69.6% (α-esterase (α-EST)), 83.1 and 73.1% (β-esterase (β-EST)), respectively. Conclusion The native electrophoretic patterns used as diagnostic tool for determining the stage at which the patients with asthmatic bronchitis exist.