Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are a cornerstone of asthma treatment. However, their efficacy is characterized by wide variability in individual responses.
Objective: We investigated the association between genetic variants and risk of exacerbations in adults with asthma and how this association is affected by ICS treatment.
Methods: We investigated the pharmacogenetic effect of 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from the literature, including SNPs previously associated with response to ICS (assessed by change in lung function or exacerbations) and novel asthma risk alleles involved in inflammatory pathways, within all adults with asthma from the Dutch population-based Rotterdam study with replication in the American GERA cohort. The interaction effects of the SNPs with ICS on the incidence of asthma exacerbations were assessed using hurdle models adjusting for age, sex, BMI, smoking and treatment step according to the GINA guidelines. Haplotype analyses were also conducted for the SNPs located on the same chromosome.
Results: rs242941 (CRHR1) homozygotes for the minor allele (A) showed a significant, replicated increased risk for frequent exacerbations (RR = 6.11, P < 0.005). In contrast, rs1134481 T allele within TBXT (chromosome 6, member of a family associated with embryonic lung development) showed better response with ICS. rs37973 G allele (GLCCI1) showed a significantly poorer response on ICS within the discovery cohort, which was also significant but in the opposite direction in the replication cohort.
Conclusion: rs242941 in CRHR1 was associated with poor ICS response. Conversely, TBXT variants were associated with improved ICS response. These associations may reveal specific endotypes, potentially allowing prediction of exacerbation risk and ICS response.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cea.13829 | DOI Listing |
Nat Med
January 2025
Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Sleep tests commonly diagnose sleep disorders, but the diverse sleep-related biomarkers recorded by such tests can also provide broader health insights. In this study, we leveraged the uniquely comprehensive data from the Human Phenotype Project cohort, which includes 448 sleep characteristics collected from 16,812 nights of home sleep apnea test monitoring in 6,366 adults (3,043 male and 3,323 female participants), to study associations between sleep traits and body characteristics across 16 body systems. In this analysis, which identified thousands of significant associations, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was the body characteristic that was most strongly correlated with the peripheral apnea-hypopnea index, as adjusted by sex, age and body mass index (BMI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Internet Res
January 2025
University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Background: Digital health interventions targeting behavior change are promising in adults and adolescents; however, less attention has been given to younger children. The proliferation of wearables, such as smartwatches and activity trackers, that support the collection of and reflection on personal health data highlights an opportunity to consider novel approaches to supporting health in young children (aged 5-11 y).
Objective: This review aims to investigate how smartwatches and activity trackers have been used across child health interventions (for children aged 5-11 y) for different health areas, specifically to identify the population characteristics of those being targeted, describe the characteristics of the devices being used, and report the feasibility and acceptability of these devices for health-related applications with children.
Exp Physiol
January 2025
Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
The mechanisms linking maternal asthma (MA) exposure in utero and subsequent risk of asthma in childhood are not fully understood. Pathological airway remodelling, including reticular basement membrane thickening, has been reported in infants and children who go on to develop asthma later in childhood. This suggests altered airway development before birth as a mechanism underlying increased risk of asthma in children exposed in utero to MA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulmonology
December 2025
Portuguese Society of Pulmonology (SPP), Lisbon, Portugal.
Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of lower respiratory tract infection, hospitalisation and death in adults.
Methods: Based on evidence regarding the impact of RSV on adult populations at risk for severe infection and the efficacy and safety of RSV vaccines, the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, the Portuguese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine endorses this position paper with recommendations to prevent RSV-associated disease and its complications in adults through vaccination.
Conclusion: The RSV vaccine is recommended for people aged ≥50 years with risk factors (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, immunocompromise, frailty, dementia, and residence in a nursing home) and all persons aged ≥60 years.
Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis
January 2025
School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Purpose: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are recommended for the treatment of exacerbations in people with COPD; however, high cumulative lifetime doses (≥1000mg prednisolone-equivalent) are associated with adverse health effects. This issue is well defined in asthma but is less well understood in COPD. The aim of this study was to examine cumulative OCS dispensed to people with COPD over 12 months.
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