Objective monitoring tools for improved management of childhood asthma.

Asthma is a common chronic disease amongst children. Epidemiological studies showed that the mortality rate of asthma in children is still high worldwide. Asthma control is therefore essential to minimize asthma exacerbations, which can be fatal if the condition is poorly controlled. Frequent monitoring could help to detect asthma progression and ensure treatment effectiveness. Although subjective asthma monitoring tools are available, the results vary as they rely on patients' self-perception. Emerging evidence suggests several objective tools could have the potential for monitoring purposes. However, there is no consensus to standardise the use of objective monitoring tools. In this review, we start with the prevalence and severity of childhood asthma worldwide. Then, we detail the latest available objective monitoring tools, focusing on their effectiveness in paediatric asthma management. Publications of spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), hyperresponsiveness tests and electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) between 2016 and 2023 were included. The potential advantages and limitations of each tool were also discussed. Overall, this review provides a summary for researchers dedicated to further improving objective paediatric asthma monitoring and provides insights for clinicians to incorporate different objective monitoring tools in clinical practices.

Risk factors for asthma attacks and poor control in children: a prospective observational study in UK primary care.

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for asthma attacks and poor asthma control in children aged 5-16 years. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study of 460 children with asthma or suspected asthma from 10 UK general practices.Gender, age, ethnicity, body mass index, practice deprivation decile, spirometry and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) were recorded at baseline. Asthma control scores, asthma medication ratio (AMR) and the number of asthma attacks were recorded at baseline and at 6 months.The above independent variables were included in binary multiple logistic regression analyses for the dependent variables of: (1) poor symptom control and (2) asthma attacks during follow-up. RESULTS: Poor symptom control at baseline predicted poor symptom control at 6 months (OR 4.4, p=0.001), while an increase in deprivation decile (less deprived) was negatively associated with poor symptom control at 6 months (OR 0.79, p=0.003). Higher FeNO levels (OR 1.02, p<0.001) and a recent history of asthma attacks (OR 2.03, p=0.02) predicted asthma attacks during follow-up. Asian ethnicity was associated with a lower OR for a future attack (OR 0.32, p=0.02).A decrease in AMR was also associated with an increased OR for future asthma attacks (OR 2.99, p=0.003) when included as an independent variable. CONCLUSIONS: We identified risk factors for poor symptom control and asthma attacks in children. Routine assessment of these factors should form part of the asthma review to identify children at an increased risk of adverse asthma-related events.

Implementing spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing in childhood asthma management in UK primary care: an observational study to examine training and implementation cost and impact on patient's health use and outcome.

OBJECTIVES: Implementation of guidelines into clinical practice is challenging and complex. This study aims to (1) identify the training needs and capacity requirements, and (2) explore the impact on healthcare utilisation and asthma-related quality of life of implementing both spirometry and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide in diagnosis of asthma among children in the UK primary care. METHODS: Ten UK general practitioner practices and a total of 612 children (5-16 years) with diagnosed or suspected asthma were invited to participate in this prospective observational study. The total times that the trainer and trainee clinical staff spent on developing the training package, providing and receiving, and performing and interpreting the two tests as part of routine child asthma review were collected, and costs were calculated. We compared healthcare utilisation and asthma-related and general health-related quality of life data between the 6 months before and after the asthma review guided by objective tests. RESULTS: The average training cost for the 27 primary care clinical members was £1395. The average cost to implement and deliver the test-guided asthma review among the 612 included children was £22. In the 6 months following the tests-guided asthma review, both unplanned primary care attendance, and hospital admissions were reduced, and the asthma-related health status increased significantly. CONCLUSION: This study provides robust cost estimates of the resources needed to implement the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence asthma guideline. It also demonstrates the potential to save healthcare costs and improve health status among asthmatic children by implementing this guideline.

Diagnostic Value of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Small Airway Function in Differentiating Cough-Variant Asthma from Typical Asthma.

Purpose: To explore the diagnostic value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), small airway function, and a combined of both in differentiating cough-variant asthma (CVA) from typical asthma (TA). Methods: A total of 206 asthma subjects, including 104 CVA and 102 TA, were tested for pulmonary function, bronchial provocation test and FeNO. The correlation between FeNO, small airway function and other pulmonary indicators was analyzed by single correlation and multiple regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was established to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of FeNO, small airway function, and their combination and to predict the optimal cut-off point. Results: All the respiratory function parameters and small airway function indicators in TA group were significantly different from those in CVA group, and FeNO value was significantly higher than that in CVA group. In addition, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was estimated to be 0.660 for FeNO, 0.895 for MMEF75%/25%, 0.873 for FEF50%, 0.898 for FEF25%, 0.695 for Fres, 0.650 for R5-R20, and 0.645 for X5. The optimal cut-off points of FeNO, MMEF75%/25%, FEF50%, FEF25%, Fres, R5-R20 and X5, were 48.50 ppb, 60.02%, 63.46%, 45.26%, 16.63 Hz, 0.38 kPa·L-1·s-1, and -1.32, respectively. And the AUC of FeNO combined with small airway function indexes FEF25%, Fres, R5-R20, and X5 were prior than single indicators. Conclusion: FeNO and small airway function indexes might have great diagnostic value for differentiating CVA from TA. The combination of FeNO and FEF25%, Fres, R5-R20, and X5 provided a significantly better prediction than either alone.