The number needed to treat provides additional insight on the performance of detection points of asthma exacerbations in self-management plans: Authors' response on behalf of the BIOAIR consortium

摘要

In our study, in the BIOAIR asthma cohort, we have proven that among several studied variables, peak expiratory flow (PEF) and day symptoms provide the highest sensitivity and specificity for the detection of severe asthma exacerbations. This confirms that the selection of action points in the study by Honkoop et al2 was optimal. However, data on other possible variables (eg, rescue medication use) are not discussed. We look forward to whether future studies confirm our finding that the use of short-acting β-agonists is no longer of value for the prediction of an exacerbation.