Individualizing Asthma Therapy: Application of Biomarkers

摘要

New asthma guidelines of National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) were released recently with a special emphasis on new information in asthma management. The new asthma guidelines emphasize several key terms including severity, control, impairment, risk, and responsiveness that are relevant for advancing the care of asthma. New directions in asthma research that could advance asthma management include early diagnosis and intervention, use of combination therapy to achieve asthma control, application of biomarkers and genetics to individualize asthma therapy, and the identification of immunomodulator therapy to alter the course of the disease. This review will discuss the application of biomarkers for asthma management. One biomarker that can serve as a prototype for the application of biomarkers to asthma care is exhaled nitric oxide (eNO). Initially used as a research tool and now being applied in clinical practice, this biomarker has been available for approximately 10 years. As such, valuable lessons have been learned regarding the advantages and limitations of this biomarker for asthma care.