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Alpine altitude climate treatment for severe and uncontrolled asthma: An EAACI position paper.

ABSTRACT: Currently available European Alpine Altitude Climate Treatment (AACT) programs combine the physical characteristics of altitude with the avoidance of environmental triggers in the alpine climate and a personalized multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation approach. The reduced barometric pressure, oxygen pressure, and air density, the relatively low temperature and humidity, and the increased UV radiation at moderate altitude induce several physiological and immunological adaptation responses. The environmental characteristics of the alpine climate include reduced aeroallergens such as house dust mites (HDM), pollen, fungi, and less air pollution. These combined factors seem to have immunomodulatory effects controlling pathogenic inflammatory responses and favoring less neuro-immune stress in patients with different asthma phenotypes. The extensive multidisciplinary treatment program may further contribute to the observed clinical improvement by AACT in asthma control and quality of life, fewer exacerbations and hospitalizations, reduced need for oral corticosteroids (OCS), improved lung function, decreased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), improved exercise tolerance, and improved sinonasal outcomes. Based on observational studies and expert opinion, AACT represents a valuable therapy for those patients irrespective of their asthma phenotype, who cannot achieve optimal control of their complex condition despite all the advances in medical science and treatment according to guidelines, and therefore run the risk of falling into a downward spiral of loss of physical and mental health. In the light of the observed rapid decrease in inflammation and immunomodulatory effects, AACT can be considered as a natural treatment that targets biological pathways.

SUBMITTER: Fieten KB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9305916 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Allergic diseases and asthma are heterogenous chronic inflammatory conditions with several distinct complex endotypes. Both environmental and genetic factors can influence the development and progression of allergy. Complex pathogenetic pathways observed in allergic disorders present a challenge in patient management and successful targeted treatment strategies. The increasing availability of high-throughput omics technologies, such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics allows studying biochemical systems and pathophysiological processes underlying allergic responses. Additionally, omics techniques present clinical applicability by functional identification and validation of biomarkers. Therefore, finding molecules or patterns characteristic for distinct immune-inflammatory endotypes, can subsequently influence its development, progression, and treatment. There is a great potential to further increase the effectiveness of single omics approaches by integrating them with other omics, and nonomics data. Systems biology aims to simultaneously and longitudinally understand multiple layers of a complex and multifactorial disease, such as allergy, or asthma by integrating several, separated data sets and generating a complete molecular profile of the condition. With the use of sophisticated biostatistics and machine learning techniques, these approaches provide in-depth insight into individual biological systems and will allow efficient and customized healthcare approaches, called precision medicine. In this EAACI Position Paper, the Task Force "Omics technologies in allergic research" broadly reviewed current advances and applicability of omics techniques in allergic diseases and asthma research, with a focus on methodology and data analysis, aiming to provide researchers (basic and clinical) with a desk reference in the field. The potential of omics strategies in understanding disease pathophysiology and key tools to reach unmet needs in allergy precision medicine, such as successful patients' stratification, accurate disease prognosis, and prediction of treatment efficacy and successful prevention measures are highlighted.

Project description:BackgroundIn patients with severe asthma, high-altitude climate treatment has been shown to improve asthma control. However, asthma symptoms and limitations may increase after finishing inpatient rehabilitation programs and returning to sea level.ObjectiveWe assessed the effectiveness of a patient-tailored, internet-based, self-management strategy in addition to usual care after finishing high-altitude climate treatment.MethodsWe performed a randomized controlled trial with a 1-year follow-up in patients from a high-altitude asthma center in Davos, Switzerland. At the end of a 12-week multidisciplinary rehabilitation program, 62 adults with asthma were randomized to receive either internet-based self-management support in addition to usual care (n=33) or usual care only after discharge (n=29). The endpoints were changes in asthma-related quality of life according to the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) (a higher score is better) and asthma control according to the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) (a lower score is better), with a minimally important difference of 0.5 points for both.ResultsAsthma-related quality of life and asthma control declined over time in the usual care strategy group, whereas there was a slower decline in the internet-based strategy group. For both endpoints, mixed-model analysis showed a significant positive effect in favor of internet-based self-management during follow-up (mean AQLQ score difference 0.39, 95% CI 0.092-0.69; P=.01 and ACQ score difference -0.50, 95% CI -0.86 to -0.15; P=.006), which was prominent among patients with uncontrolled asthma at discharge (AQLQ score difference 0.59, 95% CI 0.19-0.99; P=.003 and ACQ score difference -0.73, 95% CI -1.18 to -0.28; P=.002).ConclusionsInternet-based self-management support was associated with a smaller decline in quality of life and asthma control as compared with usual care, especially in patients with lower asthma control, after completion of high-altitude climate treatment. Internet-based self-management support in adults with severe asthma seems feasible and effective to maintain quality of life and asthma control.Trial registrationThe trial is registered in the Netherlands Trial Register (NTR1995).

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Alpine altitude climate treatment for severe and uncontrolled asthma: An EAACI position paper.

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