Fixed Airway Obstruction Found in 33% of Severe Asthma Cases

SEVERE asthma (SA) is a heterogeneous condition, and a key factor influencing patient outcomes is whether airway obstruction is fixed or reversible. Recent analysis from the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) registry has provided new insights into the prevalence and characteristics of fixed airway obstruction (FAO) among severe asthma patients.

Fixed Airway Obstruction Versus Bronchodilator Responsiveness

Among 354 patients enrolled in the registry, 190 (53.7%) had airway obstruction, of whom 116 (60.1%) were classified as having FAO. This represents an overall FAO rate of 32.8%. Patients with FAO displayed significantly better asthma control than those with bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR), with 34.5% achieving well-controlled asthma compared with 20.3% in the BDR group. FAO patients also had higher asthma control test (ACT) scores (17.4 vs 15.2) and asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ) scores (4.6 vs 3.8).

Hospitalisations and emergency visits were less frequent in FAO patients than in BDR patients, although overall exacerbation rates were similar. Interestingly, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels were lower in FAO patients (29.5 ppb) than BDR patients (46.0 ppb), suggesting airway calibre rather than type 2 inflammation contributed to differences in biomarker expression.

Potential Reversibility of FAO

The study also highlighted that FAO is not necessarily permanent. Transition from FAO to BDR or normal lung function was observed, particularly in patients with late-onset severe asthma (ages 30–39) and lower inhaled corticosteroid use. The Global Initiative for Asthma classification influenced this shift, with step 4 versus step 5 patients showing higher rates of improvement.

Implications for Clinical Practice

These findings emphasise the importance of phenotyping severe asthma patients. Identifying FAO can guide personalised management strategies, including monitoring for potential reversibility and optimising therapy based on airway obstruction type. This approach may improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary hospitalisations.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs

 

How to Perform CPR- “CardioPulmonary Resuscitation”

CPR Stands for “CardioPulmonary Resuscitation” - an emergency procedure that is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function in a person who is in cardiac arrest. Performing CPR is quite easy to learn and can one day save the life of your loved ones. Almost 90% of cardiac arrests occur at home, where people depend on the immediate attention of their family members. You need to act quickly -  At four minutes without oxygen, a human will suffer from permanent brain damage. At eight to ten minutes, death can occur. Tragically, in close to 90% of cardiac arrest cases, people die because no one performed CPR on them at the scene.

(If an image is missing, please refresh the page)

Before You Start: First, check if the person is responsive by tapping them on the shoulder and shouting “Are you okay?” If there is no response, call for medical emergency services immediately! If there are other people around, instruct them to call for an ambulance or do it yourself. If it happens to your pet, call the closest animal hospital. Remember: You should practice the CPR techniques you learned here – you could potentially save someone’s life in the future!  THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM       FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/ FOR CROCHET DESIGNS HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM