CHEST Curriculum Pathway for Asthma: Treatment Highlights-Understanding Asthma Immunology, Phenotypes, & Biomarkers

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Dr. Monica Kraft discusses the current understanding of asthma pathobiology and the importance of taking a precise approach to its evaluation and management. She explains that asthma can be categorized into two major types: type 2, which is driven by allergic and eosinophilic inflammation, and non-type 2, which includes other types of inflammation such as Th1 and Th17. Dr. Kraft emphasizes the significance of phenotyping and endotyping in understanding the heterogeneity of asthma. Phenotypes refer to observable characteristics of asthma patients, while endotypes are the specific biological pathways driving these phenotypes. She discusses various biomarkers that can help determine the type of inflammation driving a patient's asthma, such as blood eosinophils, exhaled nitric oxide, and allergen-specific IgE. Dr. Kraft also mentions ongoing research into new biomarkers, such as eosinophil peroxidase and urinary bromotyrosine. She concludes by urging clinicians to consider the heterogeneity of asthma and to refer patients who are not responding to standard treatments to asthma centers for further evaluation.

Asset Subtitle

Clinicians must be knowledgeable of the inflammatory, immunologic, and pathobiologic features leading to severe asthma, severe asthma phenotypes, and the implications for treating patients. This ReachMD podcast discusses various asthma phenotypes and the biomarkers used to identify the Th2 phenotype and also reviews the current understanding of asthma pathobiology.

Last Reviewed: September 2022

Keywords

asthma pathobiology

precise approach

type 2 asthma

non-type 2 asthma

phenotyping