Identifying the Clinical Pattern of Eosinophilic and Non-Eosinophilic Asthma subtype in adult patients with Bronchial Asthma

Background Context:- Asthma is a heterogenous disease with various phenotypes, it is the most common chronic disease characterized by airway limitation due to bronchospasm and airway inflammation associated with excessive mucus secretion from agitated mucus gland that occur due to air way hyper responiveness. Purpose of the study Comparison between eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic asthma patients. Patients and Methods 100 bronchial asthma patients of age ≥ 18 years old divided into2 groups according to blood eosinophilia. All patients were subjected to: history. Total Asthma Control Test. Spirometry. Sputum eosinophil count. IgE levels 6-Skin prick testing (SPT). Nasal endoscopy. Results the mean age of all patients was (35.4 ± 12.8) years, majority (61%) of patients were males,; the mean ACT score was (18.7 ± 2); 39% of cases have obstructive pattern by spirometry, 39% of cases had abnormal nasal endoscopy, SPT had significant relation with asthma, there is significant correlation between total IGE,sputum eosinophilia with eosinophilic asthma. Conclusion Blood eosinophils had the highest accuracy in the identification of sputum eosinophilia in asthma. Total IgE values and sutum eosinophilia were markedly increased in patients with eosinophilic asthma more than patients with non-eosinophilic asthma.

Frequency of Raised Total Serum Ig E, Sputum Eosinophilia and Blood Eosinophil Count in Patients with Severe Persistent Asthma

Introduction: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder that has several inflammatory phenotypes. Serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and eosinophils are airway inflammation markers in asthmatic patients. In this research, we assessed the asthma severity with various inflammatory markers. Aims & Objectives: To find the frequency of raised total serum immunoglobulin E, sputum eosinophilia, and absolute blood eosinophil count in patients with severe persistent asthma. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted in Department of Pulmonology, Shaikh Zayed FPGMI, Lahore from 1st October 2018 to 1st April 2019. Material & Methods: A Cross-sectional study in which total of 125 patients were enrolled after fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Blood samples were taken with aseptic measures for total serum immunoglobulin E and absolute blood eosinophils count. Sputum was collected in the sterile jar and dispensed properly to the histopathology lab. Results: Of 125 patients, 44.8% were males, and 55.2% were females. The mean patient's age was 49.37 years, and the mean duration of symptoms was 25.49 years. Raised serum immunoglobulin E levels were seen in 74.4% patients, sputum eosinophilia was seen in 25.6% patients, and increased peripheral eosinophil count was seen in 55.2%. Age was significantly associated with sputum eosinophilia; however, no such association was seen between the other effect modifiers and inflammatory markers. Conclusion: Inflammatory markers immunoglobulin E, sputum and blood eosinophil levels were significantly raised in asthma patients. These can be used in the detection of asthma as their detection is easy, simple, and non-invasive, and they are directly linked to the inflammation.

Relationship between pulmonary function tests, sputum eosinophilia and total serum IgE levels among asthmatic patients in Duhok, Iraq

Background: Bronchial asthma is a disease characterized by reversible airway obstruction, airway inflammation; and hyper-responsiveness. The prevalence of asthma is high, and both its prevalence and burden have increased over the last several decades. The study of inflammatory markers has implications for the appropriate management of this disease. Inflammatory markers has implications for the appropriate management of this disease. Objective of the study is to determine the correlation between asthma severity using pulmonary function tests with sputum eosinophilia and total serum IgE levels.Methods: This case-control study was conducted from March 2017 to September 2018 in the respiratory unit of Azadi general teaching hospital. It included 42 asthmatic patients and 18 healthy subjects. They underwent pulmonary function tests and measurement of total serum IgE levels. Induced sputum was done for asthmatic patients.Results: The age of asthmatic patients ranged from 16-70 years (mean 42±19 years). The asthmatic patient’s female: male ratio was 1.8. Mild asthma was the most common severity group (N=18, 43%) followed by moderate asthma (N=14, 33%) then severe asthma (N=10, 24%). Abnormal sputum eosinophilia (≥3%) was detected in 90% of severe asthma (N=9) compared to 36% in moderate asthma (N=5) and 5.6% in mild asthma (N=1). There was significant statistical association between asthma severity and sputum eosinophilia (p=0.00004). The association between asthma severity and total serum IgE levels was highly significant (p<0.0000) with levels of total serum IgE increasing as the severity of asthma increases.Conclusions: Severe asthma is the least common severity group in this study. Both abnormal sputum eosinophilia and total serum IgE levels are associated with the severity of asthma.

Serum Prednisolone Levels as a Marker of Oral Corticosteroid Adherence in Severe Asthma

Background Severe asthma is a complex heterogeneous disease typically requiring advanced therapies. Underlying the treatment of all asthma, however, is the consistent recommendation across international guidelines to ensure that adherence to therapy is adequate. Currently, there is no consensus on an objective marker of adherence.Methods We performed a prospective observational study of 17 participants taking oral prednisolone using serum prednisolone levels as a marker of adherence, and sputum eosinophilia as a marker of control of type 2 airway inflammation. Based on these biomarkers, we classified participants into a non-adherent and an adherent cohort, and further stratified by the presence of ongoing sputum eosinophilia.Results We identified 3 non-adherent participants and 14 who were adherent, based on their serum prednisolone levels. Stratification using sputum eosinophil counts identified one participant as having ongoing sputum eosinophilia in the setting of non-adherence, while six were identified as steroid resistant with ongoing sputum eosinophilia despite adherence to oral prednisolone therapy.Conclusion Serum prednisolone can be used an objective marker of adherence in those patients with severe asthma taking daily oral prednisolone. In combination with sputum eosinophil counts, a steroid resistant cohort can be distinguished from one with ongoing inflammation in the setting of non-adherence. This information can then be used by clinicians to differentiate the optimal next steps for treatment in these specific populations.

Lessons learned from clinical trials of asthma

Exacerbations of persistent or intermittent asthma should be anticipated by physicians and health-care professionals. Patients who are likely to experience an exacerbation often have a history of an exacerbation in the previous year, and the absolute eosinophil count in peripheral blood is ≥ 400/μL. Similarly, expectorated or induced sputum eosinophilia of ≥2% is associated with exacerbations. These phenotypic findings have led to effective biologic therapies, which target eosinophils or immunoglobulin E or the T-helper type 2 phenotype, especially in children, adolescents, and adults with frequent exacerbations. In children, a reduced forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration (FEV1) to forced vital capacity ratio can be associated with future exacerbations, although the FEV1 may be in the normal range, even with children who have persistent severe asthma. Asthma control questionnaires did not differentiate between children with or children without a future exacerbation. Alternatively, in adults, the lower baseline FEV1 (2.3 L [74% predicted] versus 2.5 L [78% predicted]) identified patients more likely to have a future exacerbation compared with patients who were not having an exacerbation. After correcting for FEV1, the asthma control questionnaire data were associated with exacerbations. In adolescents (ages ≥ 12 years) and adults with persistent mild asthma, most (73%) did not have sputum eosinophilia, and some of these patients responded well to the anticholinergic, tiotropium, which would argue differently from administration of an inhaled corticosteroid as first-line controller therapy. In a three-track study of patients with persistent mild asthma, as-needed budesonide-formoterol and scheduled budesonide were associated with approximately one-half of the annual exacerbation rate of as-needed albuterol. In patients with persistent moderate-to-severe asthma, tiotropium added to controller therapy caused an increase in FEV1 without improving the asthma control questionnaire findings. There were two studies that explored whether either quadrupling or quintupling the inhaled corticosteroid at the first sign of loss of control of asthma would provide meaningful reductions of severe exacerbations of asthma, but the findings did not support this strategy. Both biologic therapies and environmental control (dust mite impermeable encasings) have resulted in reductions of exacerbations in patients with persistent moderate and severe asthma.