Creatine Kinase Is Decreased in Childhood Asthma

The article discusses a study that screened circulating proteins in childhood asthma to identify potential molecules associated with the disease. The study involved 2,264 children from eight birth cohorts, and 46 circulating proteins were tested for association with asthma. CK (creatine kinase) was the only protein consistently associated with asthma. Further analysis showed that children with higher levels of CK had lower odds of developing asthma. The study also found that both cytosolic CK forms were underexpressed in blood from asthmatics compared with control subjects. The article concludes that CK may have a direct involvement in protecting against asthma by inhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness and reducing airway mucin.