Clinical characteristics, lung function, quality of life, exercise capacity and inflammatory biomarkers in induced sputum and serum in children and adolescents with uncontrolled severe asthma

<b>Background:</b> Severe uncontrolled asthma can result in a higher risk of severe exacerbations frequency, an increased risk for adverse reactions to medications, chronic morbidity and death. <b>Aims:</b> to assess and follow-up children and adolescents with uncontrolled severe asthma. <b>Methods:</b> We assessed all children and adolescents with asthma from 7-17 years old from Pediatric Pulmonology Outpatient Clinic of Unicamp and selected those who were classified as “uncontrolled severe asthma”. These patients were assessed and followed up for six months, and answered a questionnaire with clinical information, Asthma Control Test and Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, and performed a skin prick test, spirometry, six-minute walk test, induced sputum and blood collection to assessment total immunoglobulin E and eosinophil count. Cytokine dosage for IL-17, IL-13, IL12/IL23p40, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4, IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF were analyzed in sputum supernatant and serum sample by Cytometric Bead Array (CBA, BD Biosciences, USA). <b>Results:</b> Out of 261 patients assessed, 33 subjects were included in this study. When comparing visit 1 and visit 2, we observed differences in satisfactory adherence among patients, achieving asthma control in 50% of them, decreased exacerbation occurrence (p&lt;0.001), improved quality of life scores (p&lt;0.05) and changed in serum IL-13 levels (p=0.043). <b>Conclusion:</b> Patients with uncontrolled severe asthma showed improvement of asthma control, quality of life and number of exacerbations. Regarding inflammatory biomarkers, IL-13 presented difference between visit 1 and visit 2.