Late Breaking Abstract – Tidal breathing variability during sleep is a sensitive marker of disease control in small children with recurrent wheeze

Published in European Respiratory Society International Congress 2018

Authors Ville-Pekka Seppä, Marita Paassilta, Javier Gracia, Anton Hult, Jari Viik, Davor Plavec, Jussi Karjalainen

 

Introduction

Impedance pneumography (IP) enables assessing lung function (LF) variability during sleep in young children (Seppä et al. Eur Respir J. 2016;47:1687–96).

 

Aims

To assess the level of overnight variability of tidal breathing flow-volume (TBFV) curves using IP in healthy controls and in children with asthma on and off ICS treatment.

 

Methods

70 patients aged 2.5 (0.9-5.7) (median and range) years on ICS for 3 months due to at least 3 acute physician-witnessed lower airway obstructions were recruited. Three overnight IP measurements were done: at the end of treatment period (0W) and 2 and 4 weeks (2W, 4W) later. 39 healthy controls aged 4.3 (1.5-6.0) years were measured on 2-3 consecutive nights.

Linear correlations were calculated between all TBFV exhalation curves for the early (most variable) part of exhalation (15–45% of expired volume). Variability was assessed as the inter-quartile range (r15-45IQR) of the correlation values for each overnight recording.

 

Results

185 measurements were received for the wheezing group and 80 for the controls. TBFV curve variability (r15-45IQR) was lower in non-medicated (4W) than in medicated (0W) wheezers or in controls.

 

Conclusions

LF measurement using IP enables measuring the lack of TBFV variability associated with asthma and treatment effect and may be useful for assessment of asthmatic children unable to conduct conventional LF testing.