Background: Prediction of subsequent school-age asthma during the preschool years has proven challenging. Objective To confirm in a post hoc analysis the predictive ability of the modified Asthma Predictive Index (mAPI) in a high-risk cohort and a theoretical unselected population. We also tested a potential mAPI modification with a 2-wheezing episode requirement (m2API) in the same populations. Methods Subjects (n = 289) with a family history of allergy and/or asthma were used to predict asthma at age 6, 8, and 11 years with the use of characteristics collected during the first 3 years of life. The mAPI and the m2API were tested for predictive value. Results For the mAPI and m2API, school-age asthma prediction improved from 1 to 3 years of age. The mAPI had high predictive value after a positive test (positive likelihood ratio ranging from 4.9 to 55) for asthma development at years 6, 8, and 11. Lowering the number of wheezing episodes to 2 (m2API) lowered the predictive value after a positive test (positive likelihood ratio ranging from 1.91 to 13.1) without meaningfully improving the predictive value of a negative test. Posttest probabilities for a positive mAPI reached 72% and 90% in unselected and high-risk populations, respectively. Conclusions In a high-risk cohort, a positive mAPI greatly increased future asthma probability (eg, 30% pretest probability to 90% posttest probability) and is a preferred predictive test to the m2API. With its more favorable positive posttest probability, the mAPI can aid clinical decision making in assessing future asthma risk for preschool-age children. Timothy S. Chang, Robert F. Lemanske, Theresa W. Guilbert, James E. Gern, Michael H. Coen, Michael D. Evans, Ronald E. Gangnon, C. David Page, Daniel J. Jackson.Evaluation of the Modified Asthma Predictive Index in High-Risk Preschool Children The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice – March 2013 (Vol. 1, Issue 2, Pages 152-156, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2012.10.008) Full text.
Recent Posts
- Will early intervention prevent asthma in school-age children?
- Signs of developing asthma are evident in the first year of life
- Similarity analyses of causative viruses for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma exacerbations
- Stanford Health Care study links some asthma inhalers to greenhouse gas
- Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Acute Life-Threatening Asthma in Adult Intensive Care