Abstract
BACKGROUND: Asthma, a global non-communicable disease, significantly impacts public health. Severe cases cause high morbidity and mortality rates, with childhood asthma rates in Iraq reaching 20%. The study investigated the expression levels of miR-223-3p and miR-223-5p genes linked to pediatric asthma and the impact of IgE, Vitamin D, and Mg+2 on asthma severity. METHODS: A study of 140 children aged 1-10 years with allergic asthma was conducted in Baghdad from November 2023 to February 2024. The patients were divided into three groups: those under 1, those aged 1-5, and those over 5. Serum IgE, Vit D3, and Mg+2 levels were determined using the Immunoglobulin E Test Kit. RESULTS: The results indicated a significant increase in the level of IgE in patients (353.812 ± 2 5 .679 ng/mL) compared to the control group (25.320± 2.581 ng/mL) (pvalue < 0.01, the serum level of Vit-D revealed a significant decrease in the patient group (16 .9 0 7 ± 0 .5 1 2 ng/mL) while in the control group, levels reached (32.746± 1.629 ng/mL), Mg+2 serum level decreased in patient groups (2 .1 6 8 ± 0 .0 3 0 ng/dL) compared to control group (2 .316± 0.028 ng/dL) at p-value < 0.01. also, this study shows that upregulation of gene expression in miR-223-3p and miR-223-5p genes are considered risk factors for allergic asthma. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that asthma patients had high IgE levels, low vitamin D3 and magnesium levels, and high gene expression in miR-223-3p and miR-223-5p genes, risk factors for allergic asthma.