Single breath count compared to spirometry in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response in acute exacerbation of childhood asthma: a cross-sectional study

Résumé fourni par la source

Background: Single breath count (SBC) has the potential to diagnose children with asthma exacerbation, and monitor treatment response in emergency settings, where, spirometry is rarely available and difficult to do even if available. Aims and Objective: To compare SBC with spirometry in diagnosing asthma exacerbation, and monitor treatment response in children. Methods: This cross-sectional study included children of 6-16 years age: asthma with exacerbation (Group 1), asthma without exacerbation (Group 2), and healthy children (Group 3). Baseline spirometry and SBC were done for all the groups (post-treatment done only for Groups 1 & 2). ROC curves, and correlation coefficients were derived. Results: 164 children (asthma = 82, healthy = 82) were enrolled (male, 59.8%). The median (IQR) SBC values of the three groups at baseline were as follows: Group 1 (27, 25–31), Group 2 (32, 28–36), Group 3 (35, 31–40). Post-treatment significant change was noted in Group 1 (P = 0.03). All the spirometry parameters showed a significant positive correlation with SBC. The area under the curve (AUC) for SBC was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.62 to 0.84) for differentiating between ‘exacerbation’ or ‘no exacerbation’ (P = 0.014). The cut-off value of SBC was 28 for this differentiation. There was a significant post-treatment change noted in SBC, PS, and spirometry parameters. Conclusion: SBC like spirometry can predict an asthma exacerbation (a cut-off of 28 was suggestive). SBC improved post-treatment, and can be used as a simple bedside test to monitor treatment response in children with asthma exacerbation.

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