1
|
Roberts G, Valovirta E, Halken S, Eng PA, Mäkelä MJ, Lødrup Carlsen KC, Knecht R, Malmberg LP. Diagnosing new-onset asthma in a paediatric clinical trial setting in school-age children. FRONTIERS IN ALLERGY 2024; 5:1418922. [PMID: 39081649 PMCID: PMC11287659 DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2024.1418922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Asthma is a common chronic disease in children. It is a dynamic condition-symptoms change over time, and the outcome of diagnostic tests can vary. Consequently, evaluating the onset of asthma at a single point in time, perhaps when patients are asymptomatic with limited impairment of the lung function, may result in false diagnostic conclusions. The absence of consistent gold-standard diagnostic criteria in children challenges the ability of any study to ascertain an effect of treatment on asthma prevention. A comprehensive review of the diagnostic criteria used for new-onset asthma in school-age children was conducted based on existing recommendations from published clinical guidance, alongside evidence from paediatric asthma prevention trials. Findings from the review were used to propose suggestions for diagnosing new-onset asthma in future asthma prevention trials. Despite an overall lack of consensus in the published clinical guidance, there are similarities between the various recommendations for diagnosing asthma in children, which typically involve assessing the variable symptoms and supplementing the medical history with objective measures of lung function. For future paediatric asthma prevention trials, we suggest that paediatric clinical trials should use a new-onset asthma definition that incorporates the concepts of "possible", "probable" and "confirmed" asthma. "Possible" asthma would capture self-reported features of chronic symptoms and symptom relief with β2-agonist bronchodilator (suggesting reversibility). "Probable" asthma would include symptom chronicity, self-reported symptom relief with β2-agonist bronchodilator, and objective features of asthma (reversibility or bronchial hyper-responsiveness). A "confirmed" diagnosis would be made only if there is a positive response to controller therapy. These suggestions aim to improve the diagnosis of new-onset childhood asthma in clinical trials, which will be useful in the design and conduct of future paediatric asthma prevention trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Graham Roberts
- The David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Erkka Valovirta
- Terveystalo Allergy Clinic, Department of Lung Diseases and Clinical Immunology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Susanne Halken
- Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Peter A. Eng
- Section of Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergy, Children’s Hospital, Aarau, Switzerland
| | - Mika J. Mäkelä
- Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Karin C. Lødrup Carlsen
- Department of Paediatrics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - L. Pekka Malmberg
- Unit of Clinical Physiology, Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
HSP70 upregulation in nasal mucosa of symptomatic children with allergic rhinitis and potential risk of asthma development. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14104. [PMID: 35982171 PMCID: PMC9388484 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18443-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Allergic rhinitis and asthma are the most common causes of chronic inflammation of the upper and lower airways in childhood. However, a nasal biomarker that can link to pulmonary inflammation is yet to be found. The present paper aims to investigate the possible role in inflammation of two inducible 70-kDa Heat Shock Proteins (HSP70) members, HSPA1A/B and HSPA6, in nasal mucosa cells of allergic children through their mRNA expression analysis, and their correlation to both spirometric and FeNO values. The relationship between FeNO in lower airways and ∆Cts of HSPA1A/B in nasal mucosa seems to be influenced by clinical symptoms regardless of age, sex, and sensitization patterns. Therefore, HSP70 expression, as well as FeNO levels, could have a predictive capability to identify lower airways inflammation and thus to recognize rhinitic children having a potential risk of asthma development.
Collapse
|