Urine testing for asthma

Using mass spectrometry, a research group headed at the Karolinska Institutet has been able to sort out the biomarkers in urine that define the many different kinds of asthma.  “We conclude that this study supports the premise that asthma phenotyping may be aided by measurements of indicative metabolites of lipid mediators in the urine. The discovery of strong associations among urinary LTE4, PGD2 metabolites, and markers of T2 inflammation warrant application in future treatment trials with biologics and strengthen evidence of the key role of mast cells and eosinophils in asthma. Urinary eicosanoid signatures could be particularly useful to guide selection for treatment in children with SA, in whom sputum induction and blood sampling can be challenging. The panel of urinary biomarkers could potentially be enhanced by standardized inclusion of noneicosanoid markers such as, for example, histamine metabolites and EDN. Because of its noninvasive nature, the measurement of urinary eicosanoids would be particularly useful at the point of primary care at which the vast majority of asthma patients are managed.”  MORE

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