Assessing health-related quality of life in patients with interstitial lung diseases.

BACKGROUND: The R-Scale-PF was proposed to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We generated a German version of the R-Scale-PF (GR-Scale), representing the first translation of the questionnaire into another language and assessed HRQoL longitudinally in various interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) using the R-Scale-PF scoring system at a specialized ILD centre. METHODS: We have translated the questionnaire in accordance with the WHO translation guidelines and applied it to 80 ILD patients of our department, with follow-ups after 3-6 months, assessing its internal consistency, floor and ceiling effects, concurrent validity, known-groups validity, and its responsiveness to changes over time. RESULTS: At baseline, all 80 patients completed the GR-Scale. In 70 patients (87.5%), follow-up data could be obtained after 4.43 ± 1.2 months. The GR-Scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.749) and slight floor effects. Concurrent validity analysis showed weak but significant correlations with forced vital capacity (FVC; r=-0.282 p = 0.011) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco; r=-0.254 p = 0.025). In the follow-up analysis, moderate correlations were found with FVC (r=-0.41 p < 0.001) and DLco (r=-0.445 p < 0.001). No significant difference in the total score was found between patients with IPF (n = 10) and with non-IPF ILDs (n = 70). The GR-Scale successfully discriminated between groups of varying disease severity based on lung function parameters and the need for long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). Furthermore, it was able to distinguish between patients showing improvement, stability or decline of lung function parameters. CONCLUSION: Our prospective observational pilot study suggests that the GR-Scales is a simple and quick tool to measure HRQoL in patients with ILDs, thus providing an important additional information for the clinical assessment of ILD patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Our study was retrospectively registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS) on 02.11.2022 (DRKS-ID: DRKS00030599).

Bronchodilator Reversibility in the GAN Severe Asthma Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Positive bronchodilator reversibility (BDR) is a diagnostic criterion for asthma. However, patients with asthma may exhibit a negative BDR response. Aim: To describe the frequency of positive and Negative BDR response in patients with severe asthma and study associations with phenotypic characteristics. METHODS: A positive BDR response was defined as an increase in FEV1 >200 mL and >12% upon testing with a short-acting ß-agonist. RESULTS: BDR data were available for 793 of the 2013 patients included in the German Asthma Net (GAN) severe asthma registry. Of these, 250 (31.5%) had a positive BDR response and 543 (68.5%) a egative BDR response. Comorbidities significantly associated with a negative response were gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (28.0% vs 40.0%, P<.01) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (0.4% vs 3.0%; P<.05), while smoking history (active: 2.8% vs 2.2%; ex: 40.0% vs 41.7%) and comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (5.2% vs 7.2%) were similar in both groups. Patients with a positive BDR response had worse asthma control (median Asthma Control Questionnaire 5 score, 3.4 vs 3.0, P<.05), more frequently reported dyspnea at rest (26.8% vs 16.4%, P<.001) and chest tightness (36.4% vs 26.2%, P<.001), and had more severe airway obstruction at baseline (FEV1% predicted, 56 vs 64, P<.001) and higher fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels (41 vs 33 ppb, P<0.05). There were no differences in diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, single breath (% pred, 70% vs 71%). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified an association between positive BDR response and lower baseline FEV1% (P<.001) and chest tightness (P<.05) and a negative association between BDR and GERD (P<.05). CONCLUSION: In this real-life setting, most patients with severe asthma had a negative BDR response. Interestingly, this was not associated with smoking history or COPD, but with lower FeNO and presence of GERD.

Identification of a plasma miRNA biomarker signature for allergic asthma: A translational approach.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic disease with different phenotypes and treatment responses. Thus, there is a high clinical need for molecular disease biomarkers to aid in differentiating these distinct phenotypes. As MicroRNAs (miRNAs), that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, are altered in experimental and human asthma, circulating miRNAs are attractive candidates for the identification of novel biomarkers. This study aimed to identify plasmatic miRNA-based biomarkers of asthma, through a translational approach. METHODS: We prescreened miRNAs in plasma samples from two different murine models of experimental asthma (ovalbumin and house dust mite); miRNAs deregulated in both models were further tested in a human training cohort of 20 asthma patients and 9 healthy controls. Candidate miRNAs were then validated in a second, independent group of 26 asthma patients and 12 healthy controls. RESULTS: Ten miRNA ratios consisting of 13 miRNAs were differentially regulated in both murine models. Measuring these miRNAs in the training cohort identified a biomarker signature consisting of five miRNA ratios (7 miRNAs). This signature showed a good sensitivity and specificity in the test cohort with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.92. Correlation of miRNA ratios with clinical characteristics further revealed associations with FVC % predicted, and oral corticosteroid or antileukotriene use. CONCLUSION: Distinct plasma miRNAs are differentially regulated both in murine and in human allergic asthma and were associated with clinical characteristics of patients. Thus, we suggest that miRNA levels in plasma might have future potential to subphenotype patients with asthma.