Publications by authors named "Susanne J H Vijverberg"
Background: Early identification of children at risk of asthma attacks is important for optimizing treatment strategies. We aimed to integrate salivary microbiome and serum inflammatory mediator profiles with asthma attacks history to develop a comprehensive predictive model for future attacks.
Methods: This study contained a discovery (SysPharmPediA) and a replication phase (U-BIOPRED).
Background: Asthma exacerbations are episodes of symptom worsening requiring increased therapy, which affect patients across all asthma severities. Potential genetic associations with asthma exacerbations in an understudied population were investigated.
Objective: We sought to perform a genome-wide association study on severe asthma exacerbations in an admixed adult population with varying asthma severities and to explore potential epigenetic roles.
Metabotypes are linked to uncontrolled childhood asthma, gut microbiota, and systemic inflammation.
J Allergy Clin Immunol
August 2025
Background: Childhood asthma has been linked to distinct metabolomic profiles.
Objective: We sought to identify phenotypes (metabotypes) in children with moderate to severe asthma through integrative fecal and serum metabolome analysis.
Methods: Children from the Systems Pharmacology Approach to Uncontrolled Pediatric Asthma cohort with Global Initiative for Asthma treatment step 3 or higher were recruited.
Background: Severe acute asthma (SAA) in children can be life-threatening. There has been a significant rise in paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions due to SAA over the past two decades. While asthma is a heterogeneous disease, its underlying pathophysiological pathways remain underexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFhttps://bit.ly/40944lv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Asthma exacerbations (AEs) represent the major contributor to the global asthma burden. Although genetic and environmental factors have been associated with AEs, the role of epigenetics remains uncovered.
Objective: This study aimed to identify whole blood DNA methylation (DNAm) markers associated with AEs in Europeans.
: Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) and dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are common inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) inhaler devices. The difference in formulation and administration technique of these devices may influence oral cavity microbiota composition. We aimed to compare the saliva microbiome in children with moderate-to-severe asthma using ICS via MDIs versus DPIs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Genetic factors play a role in asthma severity. However, low- and middle-income countries have minimal contribution to genomic asthma research. The current study investigates the influence of an important genetic asthma region (6p21) on severe asthma in a cohort of asthmatics in Pakistan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA) in combination with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are commonly used to treat asthma, however, some children lack response to the addition of LABA. This might be partially due to the presence of the Arg16Gly polymorphism, encoded by rs1042713 G>A in the ADRB2 gene. Carrying the A allele (Arg16) at this variant has been associated with an increased risk of exacerbations despite LABA treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Underlying immunological mechanisms in children with moderate-to-severe asthma are complex and unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between blood inflammatory parameters and asthma burden in children with moderate-to-severe asthma.
Methods: Blood inflammatory parameters (eosinophil and neutrophil counts and inflammatory mediators using multiplex immunoassay technology) were measured in children (6-17 years) with moderate-to-severe asthma from the SysPharmPediA cohort across four European countries.
Article Synopsis
- - The development of the CompOsite iNdexes For Response in asthMa (CONFiRM) aimed to create patient-centered tools that measure responses to biologics for severe asthma in both adults and children, integrating clinical data and quality of life (QoL) indicators.
- - Experts and patients collaborated to identify significant outcome changes and devised CONFiRM scores, which demonstrated high levels of agreement on key factors, with patients emphasizing the importance of quality of life more than healthcare professionals did.
- - The CONFiRM scores effectively measure treatment response, with strong validity metrics indicating their reliability, and they facilitate a comprehensive assessment of biologics’ effectiveness; further studies are required for prospective validation.
Fatigue in severe pediatric asthma patients: Results of the PANDA study.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated fatigue levels in children aged 6 to 17 with severe asthma, finding they experience significantly higher fatigue than their peers, with around 28% classified as "fatigued" and 15.4% as "severely fatigued."
- - Researchers utilized the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale to measure fatigue and explored its relationship with asthma-related quality of life, symptom control, and other clinical factors.
- - The findings highlight the importance of addressing fatigue in severe pediatric asthma as a key factor in treatment and overall patient well-being.
Factors influencing the initiation of biologic therapy in children with severe asthma: Results of the pediatric asthma noninvasive diagnostic approaches (PANDA) study.
Pediatr Pulmonol
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on factors influencing the decision to start biologics in children with severe asthma, as existing research is limited on this topic despite the availability of treatments.
- - Analysis was conducted on a group of 72 pediatric patients, revealing that higher GINA treatment steps, steroid toxicity, and a frequency of exacerbations were significant predictors for initiating biologic therapy.
- - The findings indicate a clinical need for biologics in children experiencing steroid toxicity, while highlighting other demographic and clinical factors that could influence treatment decisions.
Exhaled Volatile Organic Compounds for Asthma Control Classification in Children with Moderate to Severe Asthma: Results from the SysPharmPediA Study.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Early identification of poorly controlled asthma in children is crucial for improving treatment methods, and analyzing exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) shows promise for this task.
- A study evaluated the effectiveness of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to distinguish between controlled and uncontrolled pediatric asthma, using data from multiple research phases.
- Key findings revealed that specific VOCs, such as acetophenone and ethylbenzene, could differentiate asthma control levels, achieving strong accuracy in predicting outcomes based on the collected data from 196 children.
Respiratory health in children is essential for general wellbeing and healthy development in the short and long term. It is well known that many respiratory diseases in adulthood have their origins in early life, and therefore research on prevention of respiratory diseases and management of children with respiratory diseases will benefit patients during the full life course. Scientific and clinical advances in the field of respiratory health are moving at a fast pace.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pediatric Post-COVID-Condition (PPCC) clinics treat children despite limited scientific substantiation. By exploring real-life management of children diagnosed with PPCC, the International Post-COVID-Condition in Children Collaboration (IP4C) aimed to provide guidance for future PPCC care.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional international, multicenter study on used PPCC definitions; the organization of PPCC care programs and patients characteristics.
Article Synopsis
- Severe asthma in kids and teens poses significant health, financial, and social challenges due to its varied clinical forms and inflammation patterns.
- New treatments, especially monoclonal antibodies (biologics), have been developed but access to these therapies differs by country and is based on limited indicators.
- The review aims to evaluate recent advancements in treating severe pediatric asthma and explore potential biomarkers that can help determine which children will benefit most from these treatments.
Background: Asthma and COPD are among the most common respiratory diseases. To improve the early detection of exacerbations and the clinical course of asthma and COPD new biomarkers are needed. The development of noninvasive metabolomics of exhaled air into a point-of-care tool is an appealing option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: The negative effects of socioeconomic, environmental and ethnic inequalities on childhood respiratory diseases are known in the development of persistent asthma and can result in adverse outcomes. However, little is known about the effects of these disparities on pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) outcomes in respiratory diseases.
Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the literature on disparities in socioeconomic, environmental and ethnic determinants and PICU outcomes.
Interview with the ECM Award winner 2022 and introducing the new ECM members.
Breathe (Sheff)
March 2023
https://bit.ly/3BSRgV2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Children with preschool wheezing or school-age asthma have different microbial profiles in their airways, which can affect their condition and treatment outcomes.
- A study of oropharyngeal samples from 241 children identified four distinct clusters based on microbial composition, with significant differences in associated allergies and asthma severity.
- The findings suggest that understanding these microbial clusters could offer new insights into asthma management and lead to innovative treatment strategies.