Lung Sound Analysis Is Useful for Monitoring Therapy in Patients With Bronchial Asthma

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Respiratory Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Lung sound analysis (LSA) shows promise for assessing airway obstruction and inflammation in asthma.
• The exhalation-to-inhalation sound pressure ratio in the middle frequency range (E/I MF) is a specific metric within LSA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of E/I MF for monitoring asthma therapy effectiveness.
• To determine if E/I MF correlates with established asthma biomarkers and clinical measures.

Main Methods:

• 84 mild to moderate asthma patients underwent LSA before and after 1 year of budesonide treatment.
• The study analyzed the association between E/I MF and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), sputum eosinophils, respiratory function, and airway hyperresponsiveness.

Main Results:

• Pre-treatment E/I MF strongly correlated with respiratory function, airway hyperresponsiveness, FeNO, and sputum eosinophils.
• E/I MF significantly improved in patients who showed clinical benefits from budesonide therapy.
• Factors associated with non-improvement in E/I MF included longer smoking history and poorer post-treatment respiratory function and FeNO levels.

Conclusions:

• E/I MF derived from LSA is a valuable tool for monitoring asthma therapy efficacy.
• E/I MF serves as a useful indicator comparable to respiratory function and FeNO measurements.