Understanding childhood asthma: Study develops a simple nasal swab test

Childhood asthma can be difficult to navigate through. It can lead to wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and chest tightness and pain. While through invasive techniques, childhood asthma can be diagnosed, according to a recent study, the diagnosis can get lot easier. A recent study led by Dr. Juan Celedón, University of Pittsburgh states the possibilities of a non-invasive procedure that can help physicians to diagnose the different subtypes of childhood asthma. Also read | Kids with asthma may benefit by moving from troubled areas to better surroundings, says new study

Till now, bronchoscopy involving application of general anesthesia and collecting lung tissue samples was used by physicians to understand the subtypes of childhood asthma. However, given the limitations, physicians often relied on blood tests and allergy screenings which are less accurate methods. This further affected the treatment procedures.

Senior author Dr. Juan Celedón, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh and chief of pulmonary medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, in a statement, said, “Because asthma is a highly variable disease with different endotypes, which are driven by different immune cells and respond differently to treatments, the first step toward better therapies is accurate diagnosis of endotype.” Also read | Asthma in kids: Know the symptoms and how the lung disease affects children

Findings of the study:

The researchers identified three subtypes of asthma based on the activity of eight specific genes, done via a simple nasal swab method. The asthma subtypes are - T2-high (involving allergic inflammation), T17-high (showing a different type of inflammatory response), or low-low (exhibiting minimal inflammation of either type).

The research team further validated their nasal swab approach across three separate studies involving 459 young people suffering from asthma. Also read | Early food allergies linked to childhood asthma and reduced lung function: Study

Dr. Juan Celedón explained, “These tests allow us to presume whether a child has T2-high disease or not. But they are not 100% accurate, and they cannot tell us whether a child has T17-high or low-low disease. There is no clinical marker for these two subtypes. This gap motivated us to develop better approaches to improve the accuracy of asthma endotype diagnosis.”

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.