“T2-high” in severe asthma related to blood eosinophil, exhaled nitric oxide and serum periostin

What is it about?

Asthma has been considered to consist of a group that has a high level of genes related to Type 2 inflammation so-called ‘T-2 high’ that is found in the lining cells of the airway tubes. This has been described in nearly half of mild asthma subjects. We have measured these genes in the patients in U-BIOPRED. We found that a lesser percentage of our severe asthma patients were in the T-2 high category. For example, in the mild to moderate asthma subjects and in severe non-smoking asthma subjects, only 45 and 28 % respectively were ‘T2-high’. We also determined whether tests such as blood eosinophil count or sputum eosinophil count or measuring the amount of nitric oxide in the exhaled breath could predict who is a ‘T2 high’ patient. We found out that these measurements can predict it but to a very modest extent, while other tests such as measuring the level of a substance called periostin in the blood was not predictive. We conclude from this that we need better biomarkers to predict ‘T2-high’ subjects. This is becoming important because there are new treatments that specifically blocks the effects of ‘T2-high’ and we need to know beforehand who will benefit from these treatments.

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