Could FEV₁ decline have a role in daily clinical practice for asthma monitoring?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to understand whether FEV1 decline measured during the follow-up of asthmatic subjects (FEV1 variation between two different measurements at a distance of at least 5 years) may have a role in their management.

METHODS: Articles, commentaries and reviews relating to the topic were searched in PubMed.

RESULTS: Patients with an accelerated FEV1 decline (>30 ml/year) may be either steroid-resistant/difficult-to-treat asthmatics or not adequately treated because they are either under-perceivers or poorly adherent to their therapy. Sometimes they may be unable to use devices correctly. Untreated rhinitis and incorrect lifestyle (obesity status, a high-fat diet and lack of exercise) must be considered when facing a pulmonary function decline. Identifying asthmatics with an accelerated FEV1 decline, even with well controlled symptoms, may allow us to make possible treatment adjustments or to remove potentially harmful environmental exposure and suggest a correct lifestyle. Depending on FEV1 decline severity, we may detect different asthma phenotypes. One type is characterized by no/low lung function reduction. Among moderate/severe 'declining' subjects, there may be a group that might be responsive to treatment and a second one with a quicker loss in lung function that may be unresponsive to therapy.

CONCLUSION: FEV1 decline calculation should be assessed early in clinical practice over the course of time in order to make all possible variations in treatment, environmental exposure and lifestyle more efficacious overall for declining subjects responsive to anti-inflammatory therapy. Further studies are necessary to validate this approach to asthma.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2013

Erschienen:

2013

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:29

Enthalten in:

Current medical research and opinion - 29(2013), 10 vom: 11. Okt., Seite 1371-81

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Sposato, Bruno [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Journal Article
Review

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 07.04.2014

Date Revised 18.09.2013

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1185/03007995.2013.821057

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM228790816