Development of the International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR): A Modified Delphi Study
BACKGROUND: The lack of centralised data on severe asthma has resulted in a scarcity of information about the disease and its management. The development of a common data collection tool for the International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) will enable standardised data collection, subsequently enabling data interoperability.OBJECTIVES: To create a standardised list of variables for the first international registry for severe asthma via expert consensus.METHODS: A modified Delphi process was used to reach consensus on a minimum set of variables to capture in ISAR: the core variables. The Delphi panel brought together 27 international experts in the field of severe asthma research. The process…
Exhaled metabolite patterns to identify recent asthma exacerbations
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that can lead to exacerbations, defined as acute episodes of worsening respiratory symptoms and lung function. Predicting the occurrence of these exacerbations is an important goal in asthma management. The measurement of exhaled breath by electronic nose (eNose) may allow for the monitoring of clinically unstable asthma and exacerbations. However, data on its ability to perform this is lacking. We aimed to evaluate whether eNose could identify patients that recently had asthma exacerbations. We performed a cross-sectional study, measuring exhaled breath using the SpiroNose in adults with a physician-reported diagnosis of asthma. Patients were randoml…
Prescription patterns of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors for various indications: A UK population-based study
AIM: Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) are widely prescribed for several cardiovascular indications. This study investigated patterns of ACEI use for various indications. METHODS: A descriptive, retrospective population‐based study was conducted using data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Patients starting ACEIs (2007–2014) were selected and ACEI indications were retrieved from electronically recorded medical records. Stratified by indication, we distinguished between persistent and nonpersistent ACEI use, considering a 6‐month interval between two prescription periods as a maximum for persistent use. Five‐year persistence rates for various indications were ca…
The influence of smoking status on exhaled breath profiles in asthma and COPD patients
Breath analysis using eNose technology can be used to discriminate between asthma and COPD patients, but it remains unclear whether results are influenced by smoking status. We aim to study whether eNose can discriminate between ever- vs. never-smokers and smoking <
Treating severe asthma:Targeting the IL‐5 pathway
Abstract Severe asthma is a heterogeneous disease with different phenotypes based on clinical, functional or inflammatory parameters. In particular, the eosinophilic phenotype is associated with type 2 inflammation and increased levels of interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐5 and IL‐13). Monoclonal antibodies that target the eosinophilic inflammatory pathways (IL‐5R and IL‐5), namely mepolizumab, reslizumab, and benralizumab, are effective and safe for severe eosinophilic asthma. Eosinophils threshold represents the most indicative biomarker for response to treatment with all three monoclonal antibodies. Improvement in asthma symptoms scores, lung function, the number of exacerbations, history of late‐o…