Objective: RANTES is considered to play an important role in various allergic disorders since it is a potent chemoattractant for inflammatory cells such as eosinophils, memory T cells and monocytes. The aim of this study is to determine serum RANTES levels and to assess whether or not it varies in acute attack in the children with asthma.

Materials and Methods: Serum RANTES levels were measured in 16 asthmatic children (2 to 14 years of age, median 4.5 years) longitudinally during asthma attacks and two weeks later by ELISA technique. Ten healthy age-matched children without any atopic and infectious disease served as controls.

Results: There was no significant difference in serum levels of RANTES between asthmatic patients with acute attacks and controls. Two weeks following the acute attack, the serum RANTES levels were higher than the controls, however the difference was insignificant. When we compared the serum RANTES levels of asthmatic patients during acute attack and two weeks following the acute attack, the serum RANTES levels were elevated in 11 asthmatic patients, decreased in four, and remained unchanged in one. This variation occurring among asthmatic acute attack versus stable asthmatic children was statistically significant (p< 0.05).

Conclusion: The up-regulation in the production of RANTES detected in stable asthmatic children two weeks after the acute attack suggests that RANTES is a mediator in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma.