Relationship of Airway Microbiota, Endotype and Phenotype in Adult Asthma
Increasing evidence supports that the respiratory microbiota, including viral and bacterial microorganisms, play important roles in respiratory health and disease. Microbial patterns in airways may induce distinctive endotypes of asthma. Previous studies suggest host-microbiota interactions in children may account for the heterogeneity of endotypes and clinical presentations. However, information on such relationship is limited in adults. Furthermore, how the upper airway microbiome is related to asthma endotype and phenotype is not well understood. Knowledge of microbiota in the airway allows exploration of therapeutic manipulation of the microbiome and targeting the development of asthma prevention strategies and the optimization of asthma treatment.
• Subjects aged between 18 and 80 years and have a diagnosis of asthma according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) document in 2020.
• Asthma is defined as those with a consistent history and prior documented evidence of variable airflow obstruction, with evidence of an increase in FEV1 greater than 12% or 200 mL following bronchodilator or bronchial hyperresponsiveness on bronchial provocation testing, when stable.