Evolution of asthma in relation to the bronchial inflammatory phenotype: a follow-up study

Introduction: Asthma is a disease characterized by a chronic inflammation of the airway that can cause exacerbations and progressive lung function decline. The objective was to analyze whether controlled asthmatic patients present different evolution of their disease in relation to the base cellular phenotype. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study including 83 patients who had controlled asthma in 2011 (ACQ Patients were submitted for a personal interview where data of smoking, treatment changes and an actual degree of disease control (ACQ) were collected. An study of the pulmonary function also was performed. Results: Of the 83 patients, 45 (54%) agreed to participate in the follow-up study (19 men, mean age 49). The mean follow-up was 5 years and 9 months. Patients without previous bronchial inflammation (PP) had worse control of the disease, with a median (range) in the ACQ questionnaire value of 1 (0-3), compared with patients with a NP, that presented an ACQ value of 0.4 (0-3.4), p = 0.01. The number of patients with a decrease in FEV1>10% from baseline was higher in patients with EP (31%), compared to patients with a NP (13%), p = 0.02. Likewise, a trend towards a greater treatment with inhaled corticosteroids was observed in individuals with EP, compared to individuals with a NP, but no significant differences were found (p = 0.06). Conclusions: A worse control of the disease in the PP is observed according to the ACQ questionnaire, while the lung function deterioration is higher in patients with EP.