A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal
A systematic review and meta-analysis on absolute eosinophil counts and the risk of asthma in preschool children with wheezing: An EAACI Task Force Report
Authors: Adamiec Aleksander, Cieślik Maja, Mączka Katarzyna, Tarnoruda Joanna, Jensen Signe, Chawes Bo, Bønnelykke Klaus, Konradsen Jon R., Söderhäll Cilla, Makrinioti Heidi, Camargo Jr Carlos A., Hasegawa Kohei, Ambrożej Dominika, Jartti Tuomas, Ruszczyński Marek, Feleszko Wojciech; for the EAACI Task Force on Preschool Wheeze
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Journal name in source: PEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
Journal acronym: PEDIAT ALLERG IMM-UK
Article number: e14078
Volume: 35
Issue: 2
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 0905-6157
eISSN: 1399-3038
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.14078
Web address : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pai.14078
Preschool children with wheezing disorders pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and consume substantial healthcare resources. Peripheral eosinophil blood count (EBC) has been proposed as a potential indicator for future asthma development. This review by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Preschool Wheeze Task Force aimed to provide systematic evidence for the association between increased EBC and the risk of future asthma, as well as to identify potential cutoff values. In February 2023, a search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted to identify studies comparing EBCs in preschool children with wheezing who continued to wheeze later in life and those who did not. Included observational studies focused on children aged <6 years with a wheezing disorder, assessment of their EBCs, and subsequent asthma status. No language or publication date restrictions were applied. Among the initial 3394 studies screened, 10 were included in the final analysis, involving 1225 patients. The data from these studies demonstrated that high EBC in preschool children with wheezing is associated with future asthma development, with odds ratios of 1.90 (95% CI: 0.45-7.98, p = .38), 2.87 (95% CI: 1.38-5.95, p < .05), and 3.38 (95% CI: 1.72-6.64, p < .05) for cutoff values in the <300, 300-449, and >= 450 cells/mu L ranges, respectively. Defining a specific cutoff point for an elevated EBC lacks consistency, but children with EBC >300 cells/mu L are at increased risk of asthma. However, further research is needed due to the limitations of the included studies. Future investigations are necessary to fully elucidate the discussed association.
