Asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) are inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, asthma from the lower part, and CRS, from the upper part. In theory, these parts are correlated as if they are one single organ, namely "united airways", which means that if one is affected by any condition, the other might be impacted as well. However, this relationship has not yet been described down to the cellular and molecular levels. By investigating patients that have (1) asthma and CRS with nasal polyp, (2) asthma and CRS without nasal polyp, and (3) just CRS with nasal polyp, we aim to determine the correlation of the upper and lower part of the respiratory tract. At first, the characterization of disease will be determined by established clinical criteria, such as lung function, blood analysis for the presence of eosinophils (a type of white cells), and nasal polyp score. To continue, in-depth analysis of nose, oropharynx, and lung samples will help gain information about the inflammatory profile and local microbiome of the three different groups of patients through molecular and cellular assays. The results of this study will help to describe the hypothesis of the united airways which will provide better guidance for medical treatment of asthma and CRS with or without polyp, thus improving the life quality of patients.
18-99 years of age
have a recorded clinical diagnosis of asthma (ICD-10 Code: J45)
undergo moderate-serve asthma treatment according to GINA/DAL treatment step 4 or step 5 without oral corticosteroid or monoclonal antibody therapy
Asthma treatment for a minimum of 12 weeks prior to screening visit
Pregnancy (as determined by ß-HCG test)
Patients with severe anatomic variations or deviations that do not allow access to all areas in the nasal cavity
Patients undergoing chronic oral corticosteroid therapy
Bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema, primary ciliary dyskinesia
Sequential
Blood sampling
Procedure/SurgeryBlood collection for PBMC isolation, measurement of cytokines in serum, and mass cytometry
Nasosorption
Procedure/SurgeryNasosorptions will be applied for the collection of nasal secretions (Nasosorption FX-I, Hunt Developments (UK) Limited, Midhurst, West Sussex, United Kingdom). Under visualization, the device will be inserted into the nasal cavity and be placed along the lateral wall against the inferior turbinate. The index finger of the patient will be used to press onto the external aspects of the alar and lateral nasal cartilages to hold the device in place. After 1 minute, the devices will be removed.
Oral sampling
Procedure/SurgeryFor oral sampling, saliva collection devices (SuperSAL or PureSAL, Oasis Diagnostic Corporation, USA) will be applied followed by elution. Then swabs optimized for the collection of specimens will be applied (CLASSIQSwabs, Copan Diagnostics Inc. Murietta, CA, USA) to the dorsum of the tongue.
Bronchoscopy
Procedure/SurgeryThe bronchoscopy will be performed in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pulmonology. Bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL): the bronchoscope is wedged in the segmental or subsegmental bronchus of the middle lobe. Up to 300 ml sterile normal saline is injected stepwise via handheld syringe and then gradually withdrawn back into the syringe. BAL fluid (BALF) will be prepared and further analyzed in the lab. Transbronchial biopsy (TBLB): performed by forceps in the lung periphery under fluoroscopy guidance. Up to 4 biopsies are taken in two different lobes of one lung with a distance of 1-2 cm to the pleura. TBLB is only performed in patients who have got not contraindications.
Nasal biopsy
Procedure/SurgeryNasal biopsies will be taken during routine endoscopy performed to score CRSwNP. Patients will receive local anesthesia and decongestants prior to obtaining the biopsy. Samples will either be embedded in OCT or processed for cellular analysis
Nasal sampling
Procedure/SurgerySwabs optimized for the collection of specimens will be applied (CLASSIQSwabs, Copan Diagnostics Inc. Murietta, CA, USA) to the anterior naris and middle meatus of each nostril
Nasal mucosa mRNA sampling
Procedure/SurgeryMucosal mRNA sampling will be performed using a 10cm nasal curette (either Rhino-Probe, Arlington Scientific, USA or Cellskim, Hunt Developments, UK). Under direct visualization, the curette will be brought to lie against the mid-inferior portion of the inferior turbinate. The curette will be pressed against the mucosal surface moved outwards 2-3 times. This motion will be repeated 2-3 times to ensure good sample collection. This curette and technique have been shown to cause no significant discomfort to patients and thus it has the advantage of no requirement for local anesthetics.
Pregnancy test
Diagnostic testIn female patients, pregnancy will be excluded with a standard urine pregnancy test at the beginning of the main visit.
Medical history of patients, demographic data, concomitant medication, questionnaire
Other interventionPatients will be asked for their medical history including demographic data and concomitant medication. Details will be noted in the source data file. Furthermore, patients will receive a questionnaire including tools to assess QOL impairment by CRS and asthma
UPSIT smell test
Diagnostic testUniversity of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) smell test will be performed by the patients during the study. It consists of 40 questions in 4 different booklets. The patient needs to scratch a sniff strip with the microencapsulated odorant using a pencil and mark his choice on four-choice multiple-choice questions. The test is then scored by the study team out of the 40 items.
Spirometry
Procedure/SurgeryLung function will be measured by spirometry in the lung function unit of the Department of Pulmonology. Spirometry will be performed according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) guidelines by authorized and properly certified personal.
FeNO
Procedure/SurgeryAirway inflammation will be evaluated using a standardized single-breath FeNO test in accordance with the lung function unit of the Department of Pulmonology. A single exhalation technique recommended by the manufacturer will be followed. The FeNO measurements will not be performed within 2 weeks of a respiratory infection. The FeNO test will be performed prior to spirometry. Subjects should not eat or drink 1 hour prior to having the FeNO test. Subjects should not use their rescue SABA medication (e.g., albuterol/salbutamol) within 6 hours of the measurement. Inhaled bronchodilators (including ICS/LABA) should be withheld for the effect duration specific to the bronchodilator. If not, the assessment should be postponed till after the required time has passed since the meal or drink or bronchodilator inhalation. The NIOX VERO® Airway Inflammation Monitor will be used to measured FeNO in the lung function unit of the Department of Pulmonology.
Lung X-Ray
Procedure/SurgeryAfter the bronchoscopy, a lung x-ray will be performed and patients will stay overnight in the ward of the Department of Pulmonology.
Inflammatory profile in different sections of the airways
Concentration of selected inflammatory mediators in T2-high asthmatic patients with and without polyps and in patients with CRSwNP in absence of asthma
Endotype and immunological profile of CRSwNP
Number of patients with specific endotypes of polyps and concentration of selected inflammatory mediators of various anatomic locations in the airways both in tissue and secretion samples in patients suffering from T2-high asthma with or without CRSwNP and in patients with CRSwNP in absence of asthma.
Microbiome composition in nose, oropharynx and bronchi in T2-high asthmatic patients with and without CRSwNP, N-ERD compared to patients with CRSwNP in absence of asthma
Number of different bacterial strains in different anatomical locations in asthmatic patients with and without polyps and CRSwNP patients in absence of asthma and to evaluate differences.
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