Tag: airway inflammation

Categories : Paediatrics Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Improving Diagnosis of Chronic Lung, Ear and Sinus Infections in Young Children

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Young girl sneezing
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Unsplash

An international Task Force has recommended a method to help diagnose preschool age children with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), a rare, inherited condition that leads to chronic lung, ear and sinus infections. The Task Force’s findings were published in the European Respiratory Journal.

Children with PCD have a problem with mucus build-up, which leads to inflammation in the airways and infections in the lungs, nose, sinuses and ears. Most people with PCD have symptoms from birth or early childhood. But some children with PCD may not be diagnosed until much later.

Currently, a commonly used diagnostic test for PCD is measuring the nitric oxide (nNO) in the nose using a chemiluminescent analyser. This involves holding a sampling tube at the nostril, whilst the patient either holds their breath, or breathes out through their mouth against a resistance – but for young children such controlled breathing isn’t always practical. Furthermore, chemiluminescence analysers are extremely expensive, not portable, and not available in most countries.

Jane Lucas, Professor of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at University of South Hampton, led an international Task Force to review existing studies and literature to establish whether there were more effective and accessible methods of diagnosis for PCD in younger children.

The task force concluded that although holding the breath or breathing against a resistor whilst using a chemiluminescence analyser was more reliable in older children and adults, adequate measurements could be achieved by measuring nasal nitric oxide whilst a pre-school child breathes normally and should be the standard way when diagnosing PCD in children under the age of five.

The Task Force also suggested that although chemiluminescence analysers are more reliable, the relatively inexpensive electrochemical devices have a role in healthcare systems with limited resources. They also recognised that the portability of electrochemical devices may be useful in countries where patients live long distances from a specialist centre, enabling the specialist to travel to the patient.

“We know that the earlier we can diagnose a condition, the better the chances are of implementing the best treatment plan for the patient,” Professor Lucas said. “But current guidelines and technical standards focus on nNO measurements in older, cooperative children using technology that is not widely available.

“Pre-schoolers often need different methods to be employed when measuring nNO, methods that are less invasive and adaptable. Without guidelines for younger children, and electrochemical analysers there is huge variability in how people take the measurements and interpret them.

“This paper is the first step towards standardising sampling, analysis, and reporting of nNO measured as part of the diagnostic testing for PCD in all age groups including preschool-age children. We hope this will promote earlier diagnosis of PCD, and a standardised approach to interpreting and reporting results.”

The task force also recommends that future research is needed to ensure the technical standard is kept up to date.

Source: University of Southampton

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Fermented Soy Products Found to Reduce Asthma Inflammation

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A bowl of tofu, a fermented soy food. Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

Fermented soy products are common in the Japanese diet, and one brand known as ImmuBalance has been found to suppress airway inflammation in animal models of asthma.

Bronchial asthma causes symptoms such as wheezing and cough due to chronic airway inflammation, but there is no fundamental treatment for it, leaving a desire for new prevention and treatment methods. Osaka University researchers found that in a ImmuBalance-treated group of asthma model mice, eosinophils associated with asthma were significantly reduced in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). As well as a decrease in inflammation and mucus around the bronchi, the team observed a suppression of proteins that induce eosinophilic inflammation.

“The relationship between soy intake and allergic diseases has been epidemiologically reported in the past,” explained first author Hideaki Kadotani, “suggesting that the components of soy may have some anti-allergic effects”

“It was reported that imbalances in the gut microbiota may be involved in immune system and allergic diseases, and fermented dietary fiber, like that found in soy, might have beneficial effects in allergic asthma models.” continues Associate Professor Kazuhisa Asai, supporting author of the study.

In the study, which appears in the journal Nutrients, such a gut imbalance’s effect on asthma were examined by giving ImmuBalance-enriched feed to asthma model mice. In the ImmuBalance-treated group, there was a significant drop in the number of eosinophils in BALF, and inflammation around the bronchi and mucus production in the bronchial epithelium was suppressed. Additionally, the expression of Th2 cytokines and the immunoglobulin serum IgE that induce eosinophilic inflammation in BALF were found to be significantly suppressed.

“In clinical practice, steroid inhalants are the basis of asthma treatments, yet they are known to have adverse side effects“, stated lead advisor to the study, Professor Tomoya Kawaguchi. “Our results suggest that the intake of fermented soybean products should be recommended as a complementary coping strategy to asthma with fewer side effects”

Source: Osaka University