The management of asthma, one of the world’s most prevalent chronic diseases, may be about to change radically. Scientists from Mass General Brigham and the Karolinska Institute have discovered an innovative mechanism capable of predicting asthma attacks with 90% accuracy.
An asthma attack is a sharp narrowing of the airways that causes breathing difficulties and often requires hospitalization. The core significance of this scientific achievement lies in the fact that, through a blood test, doctors can foresee an impending threat even in patients who currently feel well.
Until now, clinicians lacked reliable biomarkers to determine which patients faced a real risk of chronic disease complications. This new discovery will allow physicians to take appropriate measures before the disease exacerbates.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, relies on metabolomics. Using this method, researchers analyzed blood samples from more than 2,500 individuals. It was revealed that determining the levels of two types of metabolites in the body—sphingolipids and steroids—is the most precise indicator for asthma control.
By measuring the balance of these metabolites, it is possible to predict when a patient might suffer an attack, in some cases nearly a year in advance.
This breakthrough is a significant step toward personalized medicine, as the test is both easy to use and cost-effective. Given these factors, it is entirely possible for the method to become a standard laboratory procedure.
Although the method still requires further clinical trials, scientists are confident that this innovation will significantly improve the quality of life for more than 500 million people living with asthma.
