Severe Acute Bronchial Asthma with Sepsis: Determining the Status of Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of the Disease

Bronchial asthma is a widely prevalent illness that substantially impacts an individual's health standard worldwide and has a significant financial impact on society. Global guidelines for managing asthma do not recommend the routine use of antimicrobial agents because most episodes of the condition are linked to viral respiratory tract infections (RTI), and bacterial infection appears to have an insignificant impact. However, antibiotics are recommended when there is a high-grade fever, a consolidation on the chest radiograph, and purulent sputum that contains polymorphs rather than eosinophils. Managing acute bronchial asthma with sepsis, specifically the choice of whether or not to initiate antimicrobial treatment, remains difficult since there are currently no practical clinical or radiological markers that allow for a simple distinction between viral and bacterial infections. Researchers found that serum procalcitonin (PCT) values can efficiently and safely minimize antibiotic usage in individuals with severe acute asthma. Again, the clinical manifestations of acute asthma and bacterial RTI are similar, as are frequently used test values, like C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) count, making it harder for doctors to differentiate between viral and bacterial infections in asthma patients. The role and scope of each biomarker have not been precisely defined yet, although they have all been established to aid healthcare professionals in their diagnostics and treatment strategies.

Automated summary

Bronchial asthma is a prevalent disease that affects individuals' health worldwide and has a significant economic impact on society. While global guidelines do not recommend routine use of antimicrobial agents for asthma management, antibiotics are advised in cases of high-grade fever, chest consolidation on radiograph, and purulent sputum with polymorphs. However, distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections in asthma patients remains challenging due to the lack of clinical or radiological markers. Serum procalcitonin values have been found to effectively reduce antibiotic usage in severe acute asthma cases. Evaluation of biomarkers like C-reactive protein and white blood cell count can potentially aid in diagnostics and treatment strategies, but their precise role and scope are yet to be defined.