In this cohort of patients with severe asthma, the majority displayed indices of persistent airflow limitation and eosinophilic inflammation despite high-dose corticosteroids, suggesting potential for eosinophil-targeted biotherapies.

No abstract

The present studies were designed to assess the pattern of activity and the frequency of activation of the neck muscles in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Using concentric needle electrodes, we thus recorded the electromyograms of the scalene, sternocleidomastoid, and trapezius muscles during resting breathing in 40 stable patients with severe chronic airflow obstruction (FEV1 = 0.69 +/- 0.18 L) and hyperinflation (FRC = 228 +/- 40% of predicted); 17 patients were hypercapnic at rest. When breathing in the seated posture, all patients (100%) had strong inspiratory contraction of the scalenes. In contrast, no patient showed inspiratory activity in the trapezius, and only four patients (10%) showed definite, invariable inspiratory activity in the sternocleidomastoid. These two muscles were silent in the supine posture as well, even though the adoption of this posture was associated with an increase in dyspnea in most patients. We conclude, therefore, that in contrast to conventional thinking, most stable patients with severe COPD do not use the sternocleidomastoids or the trapezii when breathing at rest. Additional measurements indicated that the sternocleidomastoid inspiratory activity previously recorded in such patients was in general caused by a cross-contamination from surrounding muscles.

Epidemiological studies suggest that patients with asthma are not at an increased risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1–3]. Recent studies indicate that the severity of COVID-19 in patients with asthma is likely to depend on multiple factors. A type 2-low asthma phenotype, use of oral corticosteroids and severe asthma could be aggravating factors, while maintenance treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and good asthma control are probably protective [4]. However, there is currently scarce information on the risk associated with COVID-19 in subjects with severe asthma and/or the use of biologics. Since eosinopenia is a biomarker for the severity of COVID-19 [5], the eosinophil depletion induced by anti-IL5 and anti-IL5 receptor blocking monoclonal antibodies raises concern in patients and their treating physicians.

Augustinus-A Debrock (PI), P Ardies (Coordinator). Imelda ziekenhuis-T Lauwerier (PI), A Delbaere (Coordinator). UZ Brussel-W Vincken (PI), S Hanon (Co-I), D Schuermans, K Van Eeckhoudt (Coordinators). CHU St.-Pierre-V Ninane (PI), M Gabrovska (Co-I), F De Cock, S Carlier (Coordinators).