Increased versus stable doses of inhaled corticosteroids for exacerbations of chronic asthma in adults and children

An evidence gap map of interventions for noncommunicable diseases and risk factors among children and adolescents

Substance misuse, obesity, mental health conditions, type 1 diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases together account for 41% of disability-adjusted life years linked to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among children and adolescents worldwide. However, the evidence on risk factors and interventions for this age group is scarce. Here we searched four databases to generate an evidence gap map of existing interventions and research gaps for these risk factors and NCDs. We mapped 159 reviews with 2,611 primary studies; most (96.2%) were conducted in high-income countries, and only 100 studies (3.8%) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The efficacy of therapeutic interventions on biomarkers and adverse events for NCDs appears to be well evidenced. Interventions for mental health conditions appear to be moderately evidenced, while interventions for obesity and substance misuse appear to be moderate to very low evidenced. Priority areas for future research include evaluating digital health platforms to support primary NCD prevention and management, and evaluating the impact of policy changes on the prevalence of obesity and substance misuse. Our findings highlight the wide disparity of evidence between high-income countries and LMICs. There is an urgent need for increased, targeted financing to address the research gaps in LMICs.

Written Asthma Action Plan Improves Asthma Control and the Quality of Life among Pediatric Asthma Patients in Malaysia: A Randomized Control Trial

BACKGROUND

A written asthma action plan (WAAP) is one of the treatment strategies to achieve good asthma control in children.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial was conducted to observe the effect of WAAP on asthma control and quality of life using the Asthma Control Questionnaire and Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) at baseline and after 3 months. A repeated measure analysis of variance was used to analyze the mean score difference between the two groups.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in mean score for asthma control at baseline between groups (F[degree of freedom (df)]=1.17 [1, 119], P=0.282). However, at 3 months, a significant difference in mean scores between groups was observed (F[df]=7.32 [1, 119], P=0.008). The mean±standard deviation (SD) scores in the intervention and control groups were 0.96±0.53 and 1.21±0.49, respectively. For the analysis of the PAQLQ, no significant difference was observed in the mean score for the quality of life baseline in both groups. There were significant mean score changes for the quality of life (F[df]=10.9 [1, 119], P=0.001) at 3 months follow-up, where those in the intervention group scored a mean±SD score of 6.19±0.45, and those in the control group scored 5.94±0.38. A time-group interaction analysis using repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant differences in mean score changes (F[df]=5.03 [1, 116], P=0.027) and (F[df]=11.55 [1, 116], P=0.001) where a lower mean score was observed in the intervention group, indicating better asthma control and quality of life, respectively. A significant (P<0.001) negative Pearson correlation between asthma control and quality of life (-0.65) indicated a moderate correlation.

CONCLUSION

WAAP, along with standard asthma treatment, improves asthma care.

Effectiveness and tolerability of dual and triple combination inhaler therapies compared with each other and varying doses of inhaled corticosteroids in adolescents and adults with asthma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Current guidelines recommend a higher-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or adding a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) when asthma is not controlled with medium-dose (MD) ICS/long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) combination therapy.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness and safety of dual (ICS/LABA) and triple therapies (ICS/LABA/LAMA) compared with each other and with varying doses of ICS in adolescents and adults with uncontrolled asthma.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched multiple databases for pre-registered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of at least 12 weeks of study duration from 2008 to 18 February 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We searched studies, including adolescents and adults with uncontrolled asthma who had been treated with, or were eligible for, MD-ICS/LABA, comparing dual and triple therapies. We excluded cluster- and cross-over RCTs.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis according to the previously published protocol. We used Cochrane's Screen4ME workflow to assess search results and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) to assess the certainty of evidence. The primary outcome was steroid-requiring asthma exacerbations and asthma-related hospitalisations (moderate to severe and severe exacerbations).

MAIN RESULTS

We included 17,161 patients with uncontrolled asthma from 17 studies (median duration 26 weeks; mean age 49.1 years; male 40%; white 81%; mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (MEF 1)1.9 litres and 61% predicted). The quality of included studies was generally good except for some outcomes in a few studies due to high attrition rates. Medium-dose (MD) and high-dose (HD) triple therapies reduce steroid-requiring asthma exacerbations (hazard ratio (HR) 0.84 [95% credible interval (CrI) 0.71 to 0.99] and 0.69 [0.58 to 0.82], respectively) (high-certainty evidence), but not asthma-related hospitalisations, compared to MD-ICS/LABA. High-dose triple therapy likely reduces steroid-requiring asthma exacerbations compared to MD triple therapy (HR 0.83 [95% CrI 0.69 to 0.996], [moderate certainty]). Subgroup analyses suggest the reduction in steroid-requiring exacerbations associated with triple therapies may be only for those with a history of asthma exacerbations in the previous year but not for those without. High-dose triple therapy, but not MD triple, results in a reduction in all-cause adverse events (AEs) and likely reduces dropouts due to AEs compared to MD-ICS/LABA (odds ratio (OR) 0.79 [95% CrI 0.69 to 0.90], [high certainty] and 0.50 [95% CrI 0.30 to 0.84], [moderate certainty], respectively). Triple therapy results in little to no difference in all-cause or asthma-related serious adverse events (SAEs) compared to dual therapy (high certainty). The evidence suggests triple therapy results in little or no clinically important difference in symptoms or quality of life compared to dual therapy considering the minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) and HD-ICS/LABA is unlikely to result in any significant benefit or harm compared to MD-ICS/LABA.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Medium-dose and HD triple therapies reduce steroid-requiring asthma exacerbations, but not asthma-related hospitalisations, compared to MD-ICS/LABA especially in those with a history of asthma exacerbations in the previous year. High-dose triple therapy is likely superior to MD triple therapy in reducing steroid-requiring asthma exacerbations. Triple therapy is unlikely to result in clinically meaningful improvement in symptoms or quality of life compared to dual therapy considering the MCIDs. High-dose triple therapy, but not MD triple, results in a reduction in all-cause AEs and likely reduces dropouts due to AEs compared to MD-ICS/LABA. Triple therapy results in little to no difference in all-cause or asthma-related SAEs compared to dual therapy. HD-ICS/LABA is unlikely to result in any significant benefit or harm compared to MD-ICS/LABA, although long-term safety of higher rather than MD- ICS remains to be demonstrated given the median duration of included studies was six months. The above findings may assist deciding on a treatment option when asthma is not controlled with MD-ICS/LABA.

Increased versus stable doses of inhaled corticosteroids for exacerbations of chronic asthma in adults and children

BACKGROUND

People with asthma may experience exacerbations, or 'attacks', during which their symptoms worsen and additional treatment is required. Written action plans sometimes advocate a short-term increase in the dose of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) at the first sign of an exacerbation to reduce the severity of the attack and to prevent the need for oral steroids or hospital admission.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the clinical effectiveness and safety of increased versus stable doses of ICS as part of a patient-initiated action plan for the home management of exacerbations in children and adults with persistent asthma.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register, which is derived from searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and handsearched abstracts to 20 December 2021. We also searched major trial registries for ongoing trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included parallel and cross-over randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that allocated people with persistent asthma to take a blinded inhaler in the event of an exacerbation which either increased their daily dose of ICS or kept it stable (placebo).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently selected trials, assessed quality, and extracted data. We reassessed risk of bias for all studies at the result level using the revised risk of bias tool for RCTs (Risk of Bias 2), and employed the GRADE approach to assess our confidence in the synthesised effect estimates. The primary outcome was treatment failure, defined as the need for rescue oral steroids in the randomised population. Secondary outcomes were treatment failure in the subset who initiated the study inhaler (treated population), unscheduled physician visits, unscheduled acute care, emergency department or hospital visits, serious and non-serious adverse events, and duration of exacerbation.

MAIN RESULTS

This review update added a new study that increased the number of people in the primary analysis from 1520 to 1774, and incorporates the most up-to-date methods to assess the likely impact of bias within the meta-analyses. The updated review now includes nine RCTs (1923 participants; seven parallel and two cross-over) conducted in Europe, North America, and Australasia and published between 1998 and 2018. Five studies evaluated adult populations (n = 1247; ≥ 15 years), and four studies evaluated child or adolescent populations (n = 676; < 15 years). All study participants had mild to moderate asthma. Studies varied in the dose of maintenance ICS, age, fold increase of ICS in the event of an exacerbation, criteria for initiating the study inhaler, and allowed medications. Approximately 50% of randomised participants initiated the study inhaler (range 23% to 100%), and the included studies reported treatment failure in a variety of ways, meaning assumptions were required to permit the combining of data. Participants randomised to increase their ICS dose at the first signs of an exacerbation had similar odds of needing rescue oral corticosteroids to those randomised to a placebo inhaler (odds ratio (OR) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76 to 1.25; 8 studies; 1774 participants; I2 = 0%; moderate quality evidence). We could draw no firm conclusions from subgroup analyses conducted to investigate the impact of age, time to treatment initiation, baseline dose, smoking history, and fold increase of ICS on the primary outcome. Results for the same outcome in the subset of participants who initiated the study inhaler were unchanged from the previous version, which provides a different point estimate with very low confidence due to heterogeneity, imprecision, and risk of bias (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.30; 7 studies; 766 participants; I2 = 42%; random-effects model). Confidence was reduced due to risk of bias and assumptions that had to be made to include study data in the intention-to-treat and treated-population analyses. Sensitivity analyses that tested the impact of assumptions made for synthesis and to exclude cross-over studies, studies at overall high risk of bias, and those with commercial funding did not change our conclusions. Pooled effects for unscheduled physician visits, unscheduled acute care, emergency department or hospital visits, and duration of exacerbation made it very difficult to determine where the true effect may lie, and confidence was reduced by risk of bias. Point estimates for both serious and non-serious adverse events favoured keeping ICS stable, but imprecision and risk of bias due to missing data and outcome measurement and reporting reduced our confidence in the effects (serious adverse events: OR 1.69, 95% CI 0.77 to 3.71; 2 studies; 394 participants; I² = 0%; non-serious adverse events: OR 2.15, 95% CI 0.68 to 6.73; 2 studies; 142 participants; I² = 0%).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Evidence from double-blind trials of adults and children with mild to moderate asthma suggests there is unlikely to be an important reduction in the need for oral steroids from increasing a patient's ICS dose at the first sign of an exacerbation. Other clinically important benefits and potential harms of increased doses of ICS compared with keeping the dose stable cannot be ruled out due to wide confidence intervals, risk of bias in the trials, and assumptions that had to be made for synthesis. Included studies conducted between 1998 and 2018 reflect evolving clinical practice and study methods, and the data do not support thorough investigation of effect modifiers such as baseline dose, fold increase, asthma severity and timing. The review does not include recent evidence from pragmatic, unblinded studies showing benefits of larger dose increases in those with poorly controlled asthma. A systematic review is warranted to examine the differences between the blinded and unblinded trials using robust methods for assessing risk of bias to present the most complete view of the evidence for decision makers.

Viral Infection and Airway Epithelial Immunity in Asthma

Viral respiratory tract infections are associated with asthma development and exacerbation in children and adults. In the course of immune responses to viruses, airway epithelial cells are the initial platform of innate immunity against viral invasion. Patients with severe asthma are more vulnerable than those with mild to moderate asthma to viral infections. Furthermore, in most cases, asthmatic patients tend to produce lower levels of antiviral cytokines than healthy subjects, such as interferons produced from immune effector cells and airway epithelial cells. The epithelial inflammasome appears to contribute to asthma exacerbation through overactivation, leading to self-damage, despite its naturally protective role against infectious pathogens. Given the mixed and complex immune responses in viral-infection-induced asthma exacerbation, this review examines the diverse roles of airway epithelial immunity and related potential therapeutic targets and discusses the mechanisms underlying the heterogeneous manifestations of asthma exacerbations.

Primary Care Management of Asthma Exacerbations or Attacks: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a renewed focus on appropriate management of chronic respiratory conditions with a heightened awareness of respiratory symptoms and the requirement for differential diagnosis between an asthma attack and COVID-19 infection. Despite early concerns in the pandemic, most studies suggest that well-managed asthma is not a risk factor for more severe COVID-related outcomes, and that asthma may even have a protective effect. Advice on the treatment of asthma and asthma attacks has remained unchanged. This article describes some challenges faced in primary care asthma management in adults and in teenagers, particularly their relevance during a pandemic, and provides practical advice on asthma attack recognition, classification, treatment and continuity of care. Acute attacks, characterised by increased symptoms and reduced lung function, are often referred to as exacerbations of asthma by doctors and nurses but are usually described by patients as asthma attacks. They carry a significant and underestimated morbidity and mortality burden. Many patients experiencing an asthma attack are assessed in primary care for treatment and continuing management. This may require remote assessment by telephone and home monitoring devices, where available, during a pandemic. Differentiation between an asthma attack and a COVID-19 infection requires a structured clinical assessment, taking account of previous medical and family history. Early separation into mild, moderate, severe or life-threatening attacks is helpful for continuing good management. Most attacks can be managed in primary care but when severe or unresponsive to initial treatment, the patient should be appropriately managed until transfer to an acute care facility can be arranged. Good quality care is important to prevent further attacks and must include a follow-up appointment in primary care, proactive regular dosing with daily controller therapy and an understanding of a patient's beliefs and perceptions about asthma to maximise future self-management.

Protective effect of inhaled corticosteroid on children with asthma with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children with and without asthma and in children with asthma with and without inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy in order to determine the risk factors for asthma exacerbation and the effect of regular ICS therapy on children with asthma with MPP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Children with MPP were divided into two groups according to whether they had a history of asthma. Children with asthma were further divided into an ICS therapy group and a group without ICS therapy. The clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, and pulmonary images were compared between the children with and without asthma. Differences in the severity of acute exacerbation were compared between the children with asthma in the ICS therapy and without ICS therapy groups. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for exacerbation of MPP in children with asthma.

RESULTS

In children with MPP, the differences in the eosinophil counts; total immunoglobulin E (IgE), C-reactive protein, procalcitonin (PCT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels; and fever duration, wheezing, extrapulmonary complications, oxygen saturation < 92%, severe pneumonia, pleural effusion, co-infection with other pathogens, and lobar pneumonia between children with and without asthma were statistically significant. Among children with asthma with MPP, those in the ICS therapy group were less likely to experience an exacerbation, and exacerbations were less severe than those in the without ICS therapy group. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the ICS therapy was an independent protective factor against exacerbation.

CONCLUSION

Among children with MPP, the chance of wheezing was higher in children with asthma than in children without asthma. The ICS therapy was a protective factor against exacerbation in children with asthma with MPP.

Management of Children with Acute Asthma Attack: A RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Approach

Bronchial asthma is the most frequent chronic disease in children and affects up to 20% of the pediatric population, depending on the geographical area. Asthma symptoms vary over time and in intensity, and acute asthma attack can resolve spontaneously or in response to therapy. The aim of this project was to define the care pathway for pediatric patients who come to the primary care pediatrician or Emergency Room with acute asthmatic access. The project was developed in the awareness that for the management of these patients, broad coordination of interventions in the pre-hospital phase and the promotion of timely and appropriate assistance modalities with the involvement of all health professionals involved are important. Through the application of the RAND method, which obliges to discuss the statements derived from the guidelines, there was a clear increase in the concordance in the behavior on the management of acute asthma between primary care pediatricians and hospital pediatricians. The RAND method was found to be useful for the selection of good practices forming the basis of an evidence-based approach, and the results obtained form the basis for further interventions that allow optimizing the care of the child with acute asthma attack at the family and pediatric level. An important point of union between the primary care pediatrician and the specialist hospital pediatrician was the need to share spirometric data, also including the use of new technologies such as teleconsultation. Monitoring the progress of asthma through spirometry could allow the pediatrician in the area to intervene early by modifying the maintenance therapy and help the patient to achieve good control of the disease.

Efficacy and safety of add-on tiotropium in the management of uncontrolled asthma: a patient case series

OBJECTIVE

Despite the availability of various treatment options, a large proportion of patients with asthma have uncontrolled asthma in the United States. Consequently, the economic burden of suboptimal asthma control is anticipated to substantially grow in the next 20 years, adversely impacting patients' quality of life. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective treatments to achieve and maintain asthma control. The Global Initiative for Asthma recommends tiotropium as a controller medication for patients with asthma aged ≥6 years, based on evidence from several randomized controlled trials. However, more real-world data on the effectiveness of tiotropium are required to establish a broad picture of its use in everyday clinical practice.

METHODS

Herein, we present 3 case reports of patients diagnosed with uncontrolled or fixed obstructive asthma not responding to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or ICS + long-acting β₂-agonists (LABAs) and/or leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs).

RESULTS

All 3 patients were prescribed tiotropium, irrespective of their age. Tiotropium improved lung function and quality of life, as indicated by the forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity ratio and the Asthma Control Test score. Furthermore, the addition of tiotropium reduced the use of rescue medication.

CONCLUSIONS

Hence, the results from these case reports highlight that tiotropium could be an effective and safe add-on treatment option for patients across a range of age groups with uncontrolled or fixed obstructive asthma receiving prior ICS or ICS + LABA and/or LTRA therapy.

Combination fixed-dose beta agonist and steroid inhaler as required for adults or children with mild asthma

BACKGROUND

Asthma affects 350 million people worldwide including 45% to 70% with mild disease. Treatment is mainly with inhalers containing beta₂-agonists, typically taken as required to relieve bronchospasm, and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as regular preventive therapy. Poor adherence to regular therapy is common and increases the risk of exacerbations, morbidity and mortality. Fixed-dose combination inhalers containing both a steroid and a fast-acting beta₂-agonist (FABA) in the same device simplify inhalers regimens and ensure symptomatic relief is accompanied by preventative therapy. Their use is established in moderate asthma, but they may also have potential utility in mild asthma.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of single combined (fast-onset beta₂-agonist plus an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)) inhaler only used as needed in people with mild asthma.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Airways Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization (WHO) trials portal. We contacted trial authors for further information and requested details regarding the possibility of unpublished trials. The most recent search was conducted on 19 March 2021.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cross-over trials with at least one week washout period. We included studies of a single fixed-dose FABA/ICS inhaler used as required compared with no treatment, placebo, short-acting beta agonist (SABA) as required, regular ICS with SABA as required, regular fixed-dose combination ICS/long-acting beta agonist (LABA), or regular fixed-dose combination ICS/FABA with as required ICS/FABA. We planned to include cluster-randomised trials if the data had been or could be adjusted for clustering. We excluded trials shorter than 12 weeks. We included full texts, abstracts and unpublished data.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted data. We analysed dichotomous data as odds ratios (OR) or rate ratios (RR) and continuous data as mean difference (MD). We reported 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used Cochrane's standard methodological procedures of meta-analysis. We applied the GRADE approach to summarise results and to assess the overall certainty of evidence. Primary outcomes were exacerbations requiring systemic steroids, hospital admissions/emergency department or urgent care visits for asthma, and measures of asthma control.

MAIN RESULTS

We included six studies of which five contributed results to the meta-analyses. All five used budesonide 200 μg and formoterol 6 μg in a dry powder formulation as the combination inhaler. Comparator fast-acting bronchodilators included terbutaline and formoterol. Two studies included children aged 12+ and adults; two studies were open-label. A total of 9657 participants were included, with a mean age of 36 to 43 years. 2.3% to 11% were current smokers. FABA / ICS as required versus FABA as required Compared with as-required FABA alone, as-required FABA/ICS reduced exacerbations requiring systemic steroids (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.60, 2 RCTs, 2997 participants, high-certainty evidence), equivalent to 109 people out of 1000 in the FABA alone group experiencing an exacerbation requiring systemic steroids, compared to 52 (95% CI 40 to 68) out of 1000 in the FABA/ICS as-required group. FABA/ICS as required may also reduce the odds of an asthma-related hospital admission or emergency department or urgent care visit (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.60, 2 RCTs, 2997 participants, low-certainty evidence). Compared with as-required FABA alone, any changes in asthma control or spirometry, though favouring as-required FABA/ICS, were small and less than the minimal clinically-important differences. We did not find evidence of differences in asthma-associated quality of life or mortality. For other secondary outcomes FABA/ICS as required was associated with reductions in fractional exhaled nitric oxide, probably reduces the odds of an adverse event (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.95, 2 RCTs, 3002 participants, moderate-certainty evidence) and may reduce total systemic steroid dose (MD -9.90, 95% CI -19.38 to -0.42, 1 RCT, 443 participants, low-certainty evidence), and with an increase in the daily inhaled steroid dose (MD 77 μg beclomethasone equiv./day, 95% CI 69 to 84, 2 RCTs, 2554 participants, moderate-certainty evidence). FABA/ICS as required versus regular ICS plus FABA as required There may be little or no difference in the number of people with asthma exacerbations requiring systemic steroid with FABA/ICS as required compared with regular ICS (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.07, 4 RCTs, 8065 participants, low-certainty evidence), equivalent to 81 people out of 1000 in the regular ICS plus FABA group experiencing an exacerbation requiring systemic steroids, compared to 65 (95% CI 49 to 86) out of 1000 FABA/ICS as required group. The odds of an asthma-related hospital admission or emergency department or urgent care visit may be reduced in those taking FABA/ICS as required (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.91, 4 RCTs, 8065 participants, low-certainty evidence). Compared with regular ICS, any changes in asthma control, spirometry, peak flow rates (PFR), or asthma-associated quality of life, though favouring regular ICS, were small and less than the minimal clinically important differences (MCID). Adverse events, serious adverse events, total systemic corticosteroid dose and mortality were similar between groups, although deaths were rare, so confidence intervals for this analysis were wide. We found moderate-certainty evidence from four trials involving 7180 participants that FABA/ICS as required was likely associated with less average daily exposure to inhaled corticosteroids than those on regular ICS (MD -154.51 μg/day, 95% CI -207.94 to -101.09).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found FABA/ICS as required is clinically effective in adults and adolescents with mild asthma. Their use instead of FABA as required alone reduced exacerbations, hospital admissions or unscheduled healthcare visits and exposure to systemic corticosteroids and probably reduces adverse events. FABA/ICS as required is as effective as regular ICS and reduced asthma-related hospital admissions or unscheduled healthcare visits, and average exposure to ICS, and is unlikely to be associated with an increase in adverse events. Further research is needed to explore use of FABA/ICS as required in children under 12 years of age, use of other FABA/ICS preparations, and long-term outcomes beyond 52 weeks.

Inter-society consensus for the use of inhaled corticosteroids in infants, children and adolescents with airway diseases

BACKGROUND

In 2019, a multidisciplinary panel of experts from eight Italian scientific paediatric societies developed a consensus document for the use of inhaled corticosteroids in the management and prevention of the most common paediatric airways disorders. The aim is to provide healthcare providers with a multidisciplinary document including indications useful in the clinical practice. The consensus document was intended to be addressed to paediatricians who work in the Paediatric Divisions, the Primary Care Services and the Emergency Departments, as well as to Residents or PhD students, paediatric nurses and specialists or consultants in paediatric pulmonology, allergy, infectious diseases, and ear, nose, and throat medicine.

METHODS

Clinical questions identifying Population, Intervention(s), Comparison and Outcome(s) were addressed by methodologists and a general agreement on the topics and the strength of the recommendations (according to the GRADE system) was obtained following the Delphi method. The literature selection included secondary sources such as evidence-based guidelines and systematic reviews and was integrated with primary studies subsequently published.

RESULTS

The expert panel provided a number of recommendations on the use of inhaled corticosteroids in preschool wheezing, bronchial asthma, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, acute and chronic rhinosinusitis, adenoid hypertrophy, laryngitis and laryngospasm.

CONCLUSIONS

We provided a multidisciplinary update on the current recommendations for the management and prevention of the most common paediatric airways disorders requiring inhaled corticosteroids, in order to share useful indications, identify gaps in knowledge and drive future research.

Comparing LAMA with LABA and LTRA as add-on therapies in primary care asthma management

The Global Initiative for Asthma recommends a stepwise approach to adjust asthma treatment to the needs of individual patients; inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) remain the core pharmacological treatment. However, many patients remain poorly controlled, and evidence-based algorithms to decide on the best order and rationale for add-on therapies are lacking. We explore the challenges of asthma management in primary care and review outcomes from randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses comparing the long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) tiotropium with long-acting β₂-agonists (LABAs) or leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) as add-on to ICS in patients with asthma. In adults, LAMAs and LABAs provide a greater improvement in lung function than LTRAs as add-on to ICS. In children, results were positive and comparable between therapies, but data are scarce. This information could aid decision-making in primary care, supporting the use of add-on therapy to ICS to help improve lung function, control asthma symptoms and prevent exacerbations.

Advances with glucocorticoids in the treatment of asthma: state of the art

INTRODUCTION

Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases all over the world. Glucocorticoids (GCs), both inhaled (ICSs) and oral (OCSs), are the most effective treatment in asthma because they control symptoms and prevent exacerbations.

AREAS COVERED

The present article reviews the new therapeutic indications of GCs for the treatment of asthma and focuses on new molecules and safety issues.

EXPERT OPINION

Most patients with asthma benefit from corticosteroid-based treatments. Side effects are mainly due to prolonged use of oral GCs, while they are minor with inhaled GCs. Interesting insights come from the new ICSs, which are characterized by lower oral bioavailability and higher lipophilicity and are more effective with less side effects. Recent trials have shown the efficacy of early use of ICSs in mild asthma. Furthermore, the possibility to prescribe targeted therapies using specific biomarkers in steroid-sensitive asthma can reduce doses and duration of treatment, while biological agents should be reserved for non-responding patients. All this evidence confirm the need to continue on the path toward precision medicine, in which the treatments are based on clinical and molecular traits.

Evolving concepts in how viruses impact asthma: A Work Group Report of the Microbes in Allergy Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Over the past decade, there have been substantial advances in our understanding about how viral infections regulate asthma. Important lessons have been learned from birth cohort studies examining viral infections and subsequent asthma and from understanding the relationships between host genetics and viral infections, the contributions of respiratory viral infections to patterns of immune development, the impact of environmental exposure on the severity of viral infections, and how the viral genome influences host immune responses to viral infections. Further, there has been major progress in our knowledge about how bacteria regulate host immune responses in asthma pathogenesis. In this article, we also examine the dynamics of bacterial colonization of the respiratory tract during viral upper respiratory tract infection, in addition to the relationship of the gut and respiratory microbiomes with respiratory viral infections. Finally, we focus on potential interventions that could decrease virus-induced wheezing and asthma. There are emerging therapeutic options to decrease the severity of wheezing exacerbations caused by respiratory viral infections. Primary prevention is a major goal, and a strategy toward this end is considered.

A Practical Approach to Severe Asthma in Children

Severe asthma accounts for only a small proportion of the children with asthma but a disproportionately high amount of resource utilization and morbidity. It is a heterogeneous entity and requires a step-wise, evidence-based approach to evaluation and management by pediatric subspecialists. The first step is to confirm the diagnosis by eliciting confirmatory history and objective evidence of asthma and excluding possible masquerading diagnoses. The next step is to differentiate difficult-to-treat asthma, asthma that can be controlled with appropriate management, from asthma that requires the highest level of therapy to maintain control or remains uncontrolled despite management optimization. Evaluation of difficult-to-treat asthma includes an assessment of medication delivery, the home environment, and, if possible, the school and other frequented locations, the psychosocial situation, and comorbid conditions. Once identified, aggressive management of issues related to poor adherence and drug delivery, remediation of environmental triggers, and treatment of comorbid conditions is necessary to characterize the degree of control that can be achieved with standard therapies. For the small proportion of patients whose disease remains poorly controlled with these interventions, the clinician may assess steroid responsiveness and determine the inflammatory pattern and eligibility for biologic therapies. Management of severe asthma refractory to traditional therapies involves considering the various biologic and other newly approved treatments as well as emerging therapies based on the individual patient characteristics.

Temporarily quadrupling the dose of inhaled steroid to prevent asthma exacerbations: FAST

BACKGROUND

Asthma exacerbations affect the quality of life of patients with asthma and have a major effect on the overall costs of asthma care. An asthma self-management plan that advises the temporary quadrupling of inhaled corticosteroid dose may prevent asthma exacerbations, but this needs to be confirmed before being adopted widely.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an asthma self-management plan that advises patients to temporarily quadruple the dose of inhaled corticosteroid when asthma control starts to deteriorate with a standard self-management plan.

DESIGN

A multicentre, parallel-group, pragmatic randomised trial, with follow-up for 12 months.

SETTING

Primary and secondary care across 207 sites in the UK.

PARTICIPANTS

Asthma patients aged ≥ 16 years treated with an inhaled corticosteroid who had experienced at least one exacerbation in the previous 12 months.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were randomised (1 : 1) to a usual-care self-management plan or to a modified self-management plan that advised a temporary quadrupling of the inhaled corticosteroid at the point of asthma deterioration, both of which were actively implemented and supported by local research staff.

PRIMARY OUTCOME

The primary outcome of 'time to first asthma exacerbation' was defined as the need for systemic corticosteroids (for at least 3 consecutive days) and/or unscheduled health-care consultations for asthma (i.e. reaching zone 3 or 4 of the Asthma UK self-management plan).

RESULTS

A total of 1922 participants were randomised: the primary analysis included 938 participants (97%) in the usual-care group and 933 participants (97%) in the modified self-management group. The number of participants having at least one exacerbation of asthma in the year after randomisation was 484 (51.6%) in the usual-care group and 420 (45.0%) in the modified self-management group [adjusted hazard ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71 to 0.92; p = 0.002]. There were fewer serious adverse events reported in the modified self-management group than in the usual-care group (11 vs. 32, respectively). Eight and six events of pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infections or influenza were reported in the usual-care group and the modified self-management group, respectively. Health-care-related costs were lower in the modified self-management group. The modified self-management group was £24 (bootstrapped 95% CI -£122 to £71) less costly than usual care, with a greater quality-adjusted life-year gain of 0.02 (bootstrapped 95% CI -0.005 to 0.04). Therefore, the modified self-management group was 'dominant', with a 94-95% probability of being cost-effective at the £20,000-30,000 threshold.

LIMITATIONS

As the Fourfold Asthma STudy (FAST) was an open-label pragmatic trial, the possibility of treatment bias that may have affected the participants in the modified self-management group cannot be ruled out. Poorer than expected completion of participant diary cards, particularly within the usual-care self-management group, could have led to a null bias, underestimating the true effect of the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

An asthma self-management plan that advises patients to temporarily quadruple their dose of inhaled corticosteroid at the point of asthma symptoms worsening does reduce clinically important asthma exacerbations. In addition, the plan is cost-effective compared with the usual-care self-management plan.

FUTURE WORK

To effectively implement asthma self-management plans that advise a temporary quadrupling of inhaled steroid at asthma deterioration into routine practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15441965.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 22, No. 70. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Two Sides of the Same Coin?-Treatment of Chronic Asthma in Children and Adults

Globally, asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions that affect individuals of all ages. When poorly controlled, it negatively impacts patient's ability to enjoy life and work. At the population level, effective use of recommended strategies in children and adults can reduce symptom burden, improve quality of life and significantly reduce the risk of exacerbation, decline of lung function and asthma-related death. Inhaled corticosteroid as the initial maintenance therapy, ideally started within 2 years of symptom onset, is highly effective in both children and adults and across various degrees of asthma severity. If asthma is not controlled, the choice of subsequent add-on therapies differs between children and adults. Evidence supporting pharmacological approach to asthma management, especially for those with more severe disease, is more robust in adults compared to children. This is, in part, due to various challenges in the diagnosis of asthma, in the recruitment into clinical trials and in the lack of objective outcomes in children, especially those in the preschool age group. Nevertheless, where evidence is emerging for younger children, it seems to mirror the observations in adults. Clinicians need to develop strategies to implement guideline-based recommendations while taking into consideration individual variations in asthma clinical phenotypes, pathophysiology and treatment responses at different ages.

Exercise training as an adjunctive therapy to montelukast in children with mild asthma: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of exercise training (ET) as an adjunctive therapy to montelukast for children with mild asthma (MA).

METHODS

A total of 72 children, ages 4 to 12 years with MA were randomly assigned to a treatment group or a control group at a ratio of 1:1. The subjects in the treatment group received ET plus montelukast, while the participants in the control group received montelukast alone. The primary endpoint was lung function, as measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and ratio between FEV1 and forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC). The secondary endpoints included the symptom improvements, as measured by clinical assessment score, and quality of life (QoL), as assessed with Paediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PADQLQ) scores. In addition, adverse events were also assessed during the period of this study. All outcomes were measured at baseline, at the end of 6-week treatment and 2-week follow-up after the treatment.

RESULTS

After 6-week treatment and 2-week follow-up, although ET plus montelukast did not show better effectiveness in improving lung function, as evaluated by the FEV1 (P > .05) and FEV1/FVC (P > .05) than montelukast alone, significant relief in clinical symptoms (P < .01), and improvement in QoL (P < .01) have achieved. Additionally, both groups had similar safety profile.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study showed that ET as an adjunctive therapy to montelukast may benefit for children with MA. Further studies are still needed to warrant the results of this study.

Defective lung function following influenza virus is due to prolonged, reversible hyaluronan synthesis

Little is known about the impact of viral infections on lung matrix despite its important contribution to mechanical stability and structural support. The composition of matrix also indirectly controls inflammation by influencing cell adhesion, migration, survival, proliferation and differentiation. Hyaluronan is a significant component of the lung extracellular matrix and production and degradation must be carefully balanced. We have discovered an imbalance in hyaluronan production following resolution of a severe lung influenza virus infection, driven by hyaluronan synthase 2 from epithelial cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Furthermore hyaluronan is complexed with inter-α-inhibitor heavy chains due to elevated TNF-stimulated gene 6 expression and sequesters CD44-expressing macrophages. We show that intranasal administration of exogenous hyaluronidase is sufficient to release inter-α-inhibitor heavy chains, reduce lung hyaluronan content and restore lung function. Hyaluronidase is already used to facilitate dispersion of co-injected materials in the clinic. It is therefore feasible that fibrotic changes following severe lung infection and inflammation could be overcome by targeting abnormal matrix production.

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Influenza causes prolonged changes in hyaluronan due to increased synthase activity

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Influenza induces persistent hyaluronan cross-linking by inter-alpha-inhibitor heavy chains

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Pockets of persistent hyaluronan are associated with CD44-expressing macrophages

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Digestion of hyaluronan with intranasal hyaluronidase restores lung function but upon cessation of treatment post-viral complications return

Expression and Regulation of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin and Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin Receptor Heterocomplex in the Innate-Adaptive Immunity of Pediatric Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the airway, and it is characterized by a wheezing breathing sound, variable airflow obstruction and the presence of inflammatory cells in the submucosa of the bronchi. Viral infection, pollutants and sensitivity to aeroallergens damage the epithelium from childhood, which causes asthma. The pathogenesis of asthma includes pathways of innate stimulation by environmental microbes and irritant pathogens. Damaged epithelial cells produce thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and stimulate myeloid dendritic cell maturation through the thymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor (TSLPR) heterocomplex. TSLP-activated myeloid dendritic cells promote naive CD4⁺ T cells to differentiate into T helper type 2 (Th2) phenotype CD4⁺ T cells. Re-exposure to allergens or environmental stimuli causes an adaptive immune response. TSLP-activated dendritic cells expressing the OX40 ligand (OX40L; CD252) trigger naive CD4⁺ T cells to differentiate into inflammatory Th2 effector cells secreting the cytokines interleukin-4, 5, 9, and 13 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13), and the dendritic cells (DCs) promote the proliferation of allergen-specific Th2 memory cells. Allergen presentation by Th2 cells through its interaction with their receptors in the presence of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II on B cells and through costimulation involving CD40 and CD40L interactions results in immunoglobulin class switching from IgM to IgE. DCs and other blood cell subsets express the TSLPR heterocomplex. The regulatory mechanism of the TSLPR heterocomplex on these different cell subsets remains unclear. The TSLPR heterocomplex is composed of the IL-7Rα chain and TSLPR chain. Moreover, two isoforms of TSLP, short isoform TSLP (sfTSLP) and long isoform TSLP (lfTSLP), have roles in atopic and allergic development. Identifying and clarifying the regulation of TSLPR and IL-7Rα in pediatric asthma are still difficult, because the type of blood cell and the expression for each blood cell in different stages of atopic diseases are poorly understood. We believe that further integrated assessments of the regulation mechanism of the TSLP–TSLPR heterocomplex axis in vitro and in vivo can provide a faster and earlier diagnosis of pediatric asthma and promote the development of more effective preventive strategies at the onset of allergies.

Quintupling Inhaled Glucocorticoids to Prevent Childhood Asthma Exacerbations

BACKGROUND

Asthma exacerbations occur frequently despite the regular use of asthma-controller therapies, such as inhaled glucocorticoids. Clinicians commonly increase the doses of inhaled glucocorticoids at early signs of loss of asthma control. However, data on the safety and efficacy of this strategy in children are limited.

METHODS

We studied 254 children, 5 to 11 years of age, who had mild-to-moderate persistent asthma and had had at least one asthma exacerbation treated with systemic glucocorticoids in the previous year. Children were treated for 48 weeks with maintenance low-dose inhaled glucocorticoids (fluticasone propionate at a dose of 44 μg per inhalation, two inhalations twice daily) and were randomly assigned to either continue the same dose (low-dose group) or use a quintupled dose (high-dose group; fluticasone at a dose of 220 μg per inhalation, two inhalations twice daily) for 7 days at the early signs of loss of asthma control ("yellow zone"). Treatment was provided in a double-blind fashion. The primary outcome was the rate of severe asthma exacerbations treated with systemic glucocorticoids.

RESULTS

The rate of severe asthma exacerbations treated with systemic glucocorticoids did not differ significantly between groups (0.48 exacerbations per year in the high-dose group and 0.37 exacerbations per year in the low-dose group; relative rate, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 2.1; P=0.30). The time to the first exacerbation, the rate of treatment failure, symptom scores, and albuterol use during yellow-zone episodes did not differ significantly between groups. The total glucocorticoid exposure was 16% higher in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group. The difference in linear growth between the high-dose group and the low-dose group was -0.23 cm per year (P=0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

In children with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma treated with daily inhaled glucocorticoids, quintupling the dose at the early signs of loss of asthma control did not reduce the rate of severe asthma exacerbations or improve other asthma outcomes and may be associated with diminished linear growth. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; STICS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02066129 .).

Novel glutathione-containing dry-yeast extracts inhibit eosinophilia and mucus overproduction in a murine model of asthma

BACKGROUND/OBSECTIVE

Airway inflammation by eosinophils, neutrophils and alveolar macrophages is a characteristic feature of asthma that leads to pathological subepithelial thickening and remodeling. Our previous study showed that oxidative stress in airways resulted in eosinophilia and epithelial apoptosis. The current study investigated whether glutathione-containing dry yeast extract (dry-YE) ameliorated eosinophilia, goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus overproduction.

MATERIALS/METHOD

This study employed 2 µg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or 20 ng/mL eotaxin-1-exposed human bronchial epithelial cells and ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged mice. Dry-YE employed in this study contained a significant amount of glutathione (140 mg in 100 g dry yeast).

RESULTS

Human bronchial epithelial cell eotaxin-1 and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) were markedly induced by the endotoxin LPS, which was dose-dependently attenuated by nontoxic dry-YE at 10-50 µg/mL. Moreover, dry-YE inhibited the MUC5AC induction enhanced by eotaxin-1, indicating that eotaxin-1-mediated eosinophilia may prompt the MUC5AC induction. Oral supplementation with 10-100 mg/kg dry-YE inhibited inflammatory cell accumulation in airway subepithelial regions with a reduction of lung tissue level of intracellular adhesion molecule-1. In addition, ≥ 50 mg/kg dry-YE diminished the lung tissue levels of eotaxin-1, eosinophil major basic protein and MUC5AC in OVA-exposed mice. Alcian blue/periodic acid schiff staining revealed that the dry-YE supplementation inhibited goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus overproduction in the trachea and bronchiolar airways of OVA-challenged mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Oxidative stress may be involved in the induction of eotaxin-1 and MUC5AC by endotoxin episode and OVA challenge. Dry-YE effectively ameliorated oxidative stress-responsive epithelial eosinophilia and mucus-secreting goblet cell hyperplasia in cellular and murine models of asthma.

Long-term treatment in pediatric asthma: an update on chemical pharmacotherapy

INTRODUCTION

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood, affecting approximately 10% of all children, and is the leading cause of hospitalization in developed countries. In this paper we aimed to review the evidence on chemical pharmacotherapy for long-term treatment of pediatric asthma, according to the latest updates. Area covered: Long-term treatment, essential for controlling symptoms and reducing future risks including exacerbations and decline in lung function, includes control agents such as inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists, and leukotriene modifiers. More recent strategies based on the use of a biological drug such as omalizumab, which is a monoclonal antibody directed against immunoglobulin E (IgE), can be considered in selected patients with severe asthma. Expert opinion: In the near future, the challenge of childhood asthma treatment will be to improve the chemical drugs that already exist as well as to carefully characterize the several different asthma subtypes, with special regard to children with severe disease. A better definition of patient features, made possible by the current advanced knowledge of the pathobiology of severe asthma, can ultimately allow the identification of specific phenotypes and endotypes of severe asthma, aimed to personalize pharmacological treatment.