Researchers develop nasal swab test to diagnose asthma in children

Researchers have developed a nasal swab test for children that can help diagnose certain asthma subtype or endotype. The study was published in the journal JAMA which said that this non-invasive approach can help clinicians prescribe treatments.

A recent study published in the journal JAMA reveals that researchers have developed a nasal swab test for children that can help diagnose certain asthma subtype or endotype. The study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that this non-invasive approach can help clinicians prescribe treatments for different subtypes of childhood asthma. 

For the study, researchers included data from three independent U.S.-based studies that focused on Puerto Rican and African American youths, who have higher rates of asthma and are more likely to die from the disease than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

Dr. Juan Celedón, M.D., Dr.P.H., senior author, professor of paediatrics at Pitt and chief of pulmonary medicine at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh said, "Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, and it disproportionately affects Black and Puerto Rican children, so it's essential that we develop new therapies to better treat these young patients. 

"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."

The researchers collected nasal samples from 459 youths across three different studies and then analysed the expression of eight T2 and T17 signature genes. The analysis of the swabs revealed the patient's endotype. The study found that 23% to 29% of participants had T2 high, 35% to 47% had T17-high and 30% to 38% had low-low endotype.

Dr. Celedón said, "We have better treatments for T2-high disease, in part, because better markers have propelled research on this endotype.

"But now that we have a simple nasal swab test to detect other endotypes, we can start to move the needle on developing biologics for T17-high and low-low disease."

Researchers say that this rapid test for asthma endotype could also help push forward other areas of asthma research.

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