Circulating phospholipase-A2 activity in obstructive sleep apnea and recurrent tonsillitis.

Abstract Objective Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) plays a major part in growth regulation, differentiation and inflammation. It has been proposed as an evaluating marker for infection and inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate activity of serum type II secretory PLA2 (sPLA2 IIa) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and recurrent infective tonsillitis (RT) in children. Methods Activity of serum sPLA2 IIa was determined in children who underwent tonsillectomy, including OSA in 126 cases and RT in 60. Serum enzyme activities were measured using the standard assay with Diheptanoyl Thio-Phosphatidylcholin as substrate. Results The sPLA2 IIa activity of serum was significantly higher in RT than in OSA ( P r  = 0.26; P  = 0.02), which was not apparent in OSA ( r  = 0.14; P  = 0.09). Conclusion This study suggests that serum sPLA2 IIa activity may be considered as a supportive diagnostic marker in suspected or clinically unclear cases of RT children.