https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2025.3116

Trajectory of the response to bronchodilator and respiratory outcomes in adults with asthma-like symptoms

Early Access
Submitted: July 3, 2024
Accepted: January 9, 2025
Published: March 17, 2025
Airway inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, airway remodeling, airway smooth muscle, bronchodilator response
Abstract Views: 158
PDF_EARLY VIEW: 66
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Authors

Daniel Gimenez da Rocha
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9248-4978
Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Monique Olivia Burch
Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Luciana Aparecida Teixeira Soares
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9145-0772
Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Jessica Regina Bertolino
Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Ana Lúcia Bergamasco Galastri
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1824-9069
Department of Pathology, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Daniel Antunes
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3168-9982
Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Ronei Luciano Mamoni
Department of Pathology, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.
Eduardo Vieira Ponte
evponte@yahoo.com.br
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4868-0124
Department of Internal Medicine, Jundiaí School of Medicine, Brazil.

In the real world, health professionals need to care for individuals with asthma-like symptoms who have a persistently negative bronchodilator response (BDR). Little is known about the evolution of symptoms and lung function of these individuals because they are usually excluded from studies on asthma. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether individuals with asthma-like symptoms but with a persistently negative BDR have a different evolution of symptoms and lung function compared to individuals with asthma proven by positive BDR. This prospective cohort study included adults with asthma-like symptoms. Individuals participated in two visits 12 months apart. They responded to questionnaires and underwent a spirometry test. In individuals without airway obstruction in the first visit, those with asthma-like symptoms and persistently negative BDR were less likely to lose forced expiratory volume in the first second during follow-up or progress to airway obstruction at the final visit compared to individuals with asthma proven by positive BDR. Among individuals with airway obstruction at baseline, those with asthma-like symptoms and persistently negative BDR were less likely to resolve the airway obstruction during follow-up compared to individuals with asthma proven by positive BDR. In individuals with proven asthma, the emergence or persistence of positive BDR during follow-up was accompanied by a worsening of asthma outcomes compared to the remission of positive BDR. Thus, BRD is an accessible marker of disease progression in individuals with asthma-like symptoms. In individuals with asthma proven by positive BDR, the trend in BDR was associated with the evolution of symptoms and lung function.

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Ethics Approval

The institutional review board of the Jundiaí School of Medicine approved the study, approval number 5.221.754.

How to Cite

Gimenez da Rocha, Daniel, Monique Olivia Burch, Luciana Aparecida Teixeira Soares, Jessica Regina Bertolino, Ana Lúcia Bergamasco Galastri, Daniel Antunes, Ronei Luciano Mamoni, and Eduardo Vieira Ponte. 2025. “Trajectory of the Response to Bronchodilator and Respiratory Outcomes in Adults With Asthma-Like Symptoms”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease, March. https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2025.3116.
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