Relationship between Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis in Terms of Prevalence and Severity in East-Azerbaijan, Iran

Background: Cytokines are important in many pathobiological processes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to determine the relationship between serum levels of interleukin-33 (IL-33) and the severity of COPD disease. Method: In this cross-sectional research, the study population consisted of all COPD patients referring to the pulmonary clinic of Imam-Ali Hospital of Zahedan city in 2014. Sixty patients were selected using the available sampling method. Serum IL-33 levels were measured by the quantitative ELISA method. Results: Of 60 patients, 23 (38.3%) and 37 (61.7%) subjects were male and female, respectively. Analysis shows a significant difference between serum IL-33 of the two groups with regard to the severity of COPD disease. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between the serum level of IL-33 and the severity (decrease of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)) of COPD disease. Conclusion: : Our results indicate a systemic release of IL-33 correlated with the severity of COPD.