Sputum periostin in patients with different asthma phenotypes

Abstract

Asthma is a common respiratory condition causing symptoms such as cough, chest tightness and wheezing that are triggered by factors as exercise, allergens and viral infection. Asthma is characterized by airflow limitation, airway hyperresponsiveness and bronchial inflammation. Despite guidelines recommended treatment asthma morbidity remains high with around 50% of asthmatic patients reporting an exacerbation in the previous year. Asthma is a heterogeneous disease and appropriate classification of asthma phenotypes using clinical characteristics and immunological biomarkers can improve our molecular understanding of asthma phenotypes, therapeutics and targeted management although asthma has been considered a single disease, recent studies have increasingly focused on its heterogeneity. The characterization of this heterogeneity has prompted the concept that asthma consists of multiple phenotypes or consistent grouping of characteristics.