Simple Blood Test Could Finally Unlock the Mystery of Asthma

Simple Blood Test Could Finally Unlock the Mystery of Asthma
Simple Blood Test Could Finally Unlock the Mystery of Asthma

United States: Researchers at Rutgers Health have discovered a simple blood test that can diagnose asthma and even show how severe it is. This breakthrough could completely change the way asthma is detected and managed. Read on to learn more about this exciting development!

An academic paper which is actually written by the authors and accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation revealed an alarming factor on asthma patients; people who are living with asthma who actually have a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) level in their bloodstream that is 1000 times higher than a non-asthmatic person.

As reported by the Medicalxpress, “What we identified is that there is a specific transporter on the membrane of airway smooth muscle cells and what happens is that cAMP leaked into the bloodstream,” said Reynold Panettieri, one of the authors of the study and vice chancellor for Translational Medicine and Science at Rutgers University.

‘For decades we thought that the key for reducing cAMP was through the help of an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase.’ We now deny that and state this transporter just emits it out.”

The result is particularly relevant for the five million Americans who have asthma. Asthma can be diagnosed only by elaborate breathing tests that are usually available in superb specialty centers and may not be feasible for young children.

“It is very challenging to perform lung function tests in children under five years,” Panettieri, who is also the  director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science. ‘But from our data we at least feel that if you just did a pinprick, maybe one could diagnose those kids who cannot do lung function tests.’

To do this the research team took blood samples of 87 patients that have been diagnosed with asthma and 273 that do not have the condition. They also found that cAMP exists in higher concentration in the blood of asthma patients and its levels are proportional to the severity of the disease, which means that doctors may use it in measuring patient conditions.

The discovery could be particularly valuable in urban areas because asthma prevalence is higher compared to other regions.

“If you look at city dwellers, about one in 15 people has asthma,” Panettieri added. ‘It’s completely normal —the most common reason children are taken to the emergency room.’