Serum periostin levels following small bone fractures, long bone fractures and joint replacements: an observational study

BACKGROUND: In asthma, serum periostin may potentially be used as a biomarker in the management of patients with Type-2 eosinophilic airway inflammation. However, serum periostin may be influenced by factors other than Type 2 inflammation, potentially confounding its interpretation. We aimed to measure change in periostin following bone injury. METHODS: 102 adults without asthma were recruited into three groups: joint replacement surgery, long bone fracture, short bone fracture. Participants underwent seven measurements of serum periostin over 26 weeks after bone injury, and prior to surgery in the joint replacement group. Differences in periostin were measured using a ratio of geometric mean (RGM), with comparison made with pre-surgery (joint replacement) or 26 week (long and short fracture) reference measurements. RESULTS: In the joint replacement group, periostin fell within 48 h (RGM 0.80, 95% CI 0.75–0.86), then increased to a maximum at 8 weeks (RGM 1.89, 1.77–2.02) and by 26 weeks remained above the reference measurement (RGM 1.27, 1.19–1.36). In the long bone fracture group, periostin was reduced at 48 h (RGM 0.76, 0.71–0.83) and then progressively increased to a maximum at 8 weeks (RGM 1.15, 1.06–1.23) compared with the reference measurement. In the short bone fracture group, periostin was reduced at 48 h (RGM 0.9, 0.85–0.95) but was not different from after week 1 compared with the reference measurement. CONCLUSIONS: Serum periostin levels are influenced by bone injury. The timing and extent of bone injury needs consideration if periostin is used as a biomarker in the management of eosinophilic asthma. Trial registration This trial was prospectively registered with the Australia New Zealand Trials Registry on Feb 7 2014, (ACTRN12614000151639: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=363881). ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13223-018-0254-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.