Citation:
Leffler J, Jones AC, Hollams EM, Prastanti F, Le Souëf PN, Holt PG, Bosco A, Laing IA, Strickland DH. Basophil counts in PBMC populations during childhood acute wheeze/asthma are associated with future exacerbations. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2018;142(5):1639-41.e5
Abstract:
During early childhood, respiratory tract infections can result in wheezing episodes, which together with atopy commonly precede asthma development. A subset of wheezing children experience frequent exacerbations and are overrepresented among respiratory-related hospitalizations and are estimated to be responsible for approximately 80% of health care costs associated with asthma and related diseases. Patients with recurrent exacerbations exist throughout the full range of the asthma exacerbation severity spectrum but are at high risk of irreversible airflow limitations and loss of responsiveness to available therapeutics. Hence early identification of these children is crucial for tailored treatment regimens and might also help us better understand the mechanisms of development of recurrent exacerbations. There are currently no appropriate biomarkers that reliably identify children at risk of recurrent exacerbations.