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Biomarker-driven care in asthma: are we there?
1Pulmonary Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Bosto, MA 02115, USA. adeykin@partners.org
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|September 5, 2006
Summary
Biomarker-guided asthma care shows inconsistent links to patient outcomes, despite altering biomarkers. Symptom-based management remains effective, and more data is needed to justify widespread biomarker use in asthma treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Clinical Medicine
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Asthma management lacks simple methods for assessing control and guiding therapy adjustments.
- Biomarkers for airway caliber, responsiveness, and inflammation are being explored as surrogate endpoints in clinical trials.
- Biomarker use as a surrogate outcome requires a clear link between biomarker changes and patient-experienced clinical outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical utility of biomarkers in asthma management.
- To assess the relationship between biomarker changes and clinical outcomes in asthma patients.
- To determine if biomarker-driven asthma care offers benefits over symptom-driven approaches.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent studies on asthma therapies and their effects on biomarkers.
- Analysis of the correlation between changes in asthma biomarkers and clinical outcomes.
- Comparison of symptom-driven versus biomarker-driven asthma management strategies.
Main Results:
- Asthma therapies can modify various biomarkers.
- The relationship between biomarker alterations and significant clinical outcomes is often inconsistent.
- Symptom-based titration of asthma therapy is a feasible and effective management strategy.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence does not consistently support biomarker-driven asthma care over symptom-based management.
- More data is required to demonstrate clear clinical benefits of using biomarkers for asthma therapy adjustment.
- The logistical and economic challenges of implementing biomarker-driven asthma care need justification through proven patient benefits.
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