Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology 2024 Nov 15
Oscillometry-defined small airways dysfunction as a treatable trait in asthma.
ABSTRACT
The small airways, also referred to as the lung's silent zone, are closely associated with poor symptom control and more frequent asthma exacerbations. The oscillometry technique superimposes sound or airwaves onto normal tidal breathing and provides information on resistance and reactance, that is, obstacles to airflow occurring inside and outside of the bronchi. More recently, a management paradigm based on so-called "treatable traits" has been proposed to personalize and improve asthma care for individuals by proactively identifying and targeting modifiable pulmonary, extrapulmonary, and behavioral traits affecting asthma control. In this review article, we evaluate the literature on small airways dysfunction as a potential treatable trait in persistent asthma. In particular, we discuss whole- and intrabreath oscillometry and the impact of extrafine inhaled corticosteroids and systemic biologics on the peripheral airways.
New comment by at Hartford Health Care ( February 9, 2025)
For the last 20+ years, the pulmonary, respiratory and other societies have downplayed, discounted and encouraged their members to ignore the small airways even though many pa...