None of the trials found statistically significant differences between the groups on number of exacerbations, level of control, use of rescue medication, symptoms scores, nighttime awakenings or quality of life.
However, in the trial descriptions below we restrict our focus to the following clinically most relevant ones: number of exacerbations, level of control, reliever medication use, symptom score, frequency of night-time awakening, quality of life, FEV1, hyperresponsiveness (PC20-FEV1) and PEF.
All exacerbations were level 1, according to the American Thoracic Society ATS /European Respiratory Societyy severity classification.
The conservative estimation of virus detection rate of 50% would give the largest sample size estimate of 96 exacerbations with level of confidence at 95% and precision of detection rate of 10%.
We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to determine the association between airway microbiology and clinical outcomes (FEV1, rate of pulmonary exacerbations, CRP levels and clinical scores).
In patients with exacerbations, the levels of various pro-inflammatory markers, such as IL-6, were reported to be elevated (14).
In nine of the 10 exacerbation events, FeNO level was measured after corticosteroid administration.
*modified from the GINA guidelines; the presence of an exacerbation influences the level of asthma control at baseline or at an exacerbation.
It has been proposed that COPD can be divided into subtypes that are dominated by either parenechymal pathology or small airways disease and that have COPD phenotypes, including exacerbation frequency and level of functional impairment, which may differ within subtypes [ 55].
Neutrophil respiratory burst enzymes and phagocytosis increased significantly in probiotic LF-fed groups, whereas no exacerbation in plasma levels of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 and tumor necrosis factor α was observed.
