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[Roles of allergen testing in vitro and impulse oscillometry for lung function measurements in children with cough
Zhi-Wei Yu1, Juan-Juan Xie, Jun Qian
1Department of Pediatric Respiration, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, China. yu98204@yahoo.com.cn
Insights
Allergen testing and impulse oscillometry aid in diagnosing cough variant asthma (CVA) in children. These methods help evaluate airway inflammation and obstruction, improving diagnostic accuracy for pediatric respiratory conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Allergy and Immunology
- Diagnostic Tools
Context:
- Cough variant asthma (CVA) presents diagnostic challenges in preschool children.
- Accurate assessment of airway inflammation and obstruction is crucial for effective management.
- Existing diagnostic methods may have limitations in this age group.
Purpose:
- To investigate the utility of in vitro allergen testing and impulse oscillometry in preschool children with CVA.
- To compare lung function parameters between children with CVA, other asthma types, and healthy controls.
- To correlate allergen sensitization and eosinophilic markers with lung function.
Summary:
- Preschool children with CVA showed higher rates of allergen sensitization and elevated total IgE compared to controls.
- Impulse oscillometry revealed increased respiratory impedance and resistance in CVA and other asthma groups versus controls.
- Serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels correlated with specific lung function parameters in CVA and chronic asthma.
Impact:
- Allergen testing and impulse oscillometry are valuable tools for evaluating airway inflammation and obstruction in preschool CVA.
- These methods can enhance the diagnostic process for pediatric asthma.
- Findings support the integration of objective lung function tests and allergy assessments in pediatric respiratory care.
Objective:
To study the roles of allergen testing in vitro and impulse oscillometry for lung function measurements in preschool children with cough variant asthma (CVA).
Methods:
ethodsForty-four preschool children with acute asthma, 41 with chronic asthma, 46 with CVA, and 35 healthy preschool children as control were recruited in the study. Inhaled allergen, food allergen, and mite-specific IgE were determined by Pharmacia UniCAP System. Serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and total IgE levels were measured. Lung function was assessed by impulse oscillometry.
Results:
The positive rates of inhaled allergen and food allergen, and total IgE levels in the CVA, acute asthma and chronic asthma groups were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). However, no significant differences were found among the three case groups. The serum ECP levels in the CVA group were lower than those in the acute asthma group (P<0.01), but did not show differences when compared with the chronic asthma group. The impulse oscillometry demonstrated that the respiratory total impedance (Zrs), airway resistance at 5 Hz (R5), airway resistance at 20 Hz (R20), subtracting R5 from R20 (R5-R20) and resonant frequency (Fres) in the CVA, acute asthma and chronic asthma groups were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). Zrs, R5, R20, R5-R20, and Fres in the CVA and chronic asthma groups were lower than those in the acute asthma group (P<0.01). Serum ECP levels were positively correlated with Zrs, R5, R5-R20 and Fres (P<0.05) in the CVA and chronic asthma groups.
Conclusions:
The measurements of allergens, serum ECP and impulse oscillometry for lung function are helpful for the evaluation of airway inflammation and airway obstruction in preschool children with CVA.
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