title: Biomarkers in airway diseases.
abstract: The inherent limitations of spirometry and clinical history have prompted clinicians and scientists to search for surrogate markers of airway diseases. Although few biomarkers have been widely accepted into the clinical armamentarium, the authors explore three sources of biomarkers that have shown promise as indicators of disease severity and treatment response. In asthma, exhaled nitric oxide measurements can predict steroid responsiveness and sputum eosinophil counts have been used to titrate anti-inflammatory therapies. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, inflammatory plasma biomarkers, such as fibrinogen, club cell secretory protein-16 and surfactant protein D, can denote greater severity and predict the risk of exacerbations. While the multitude of disease phenotypes in respiratory medicine make biomarker development especially challenging, these three may soon play key roles in the diagnosis and management of airway diseases.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. janice.leung@nih.gov
authors.forename: Janice M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Don D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Sin
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D019468:Disease Management; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D005340:Fibrinogen