Patient‐centered digital biomarkers for allergic respiratory diseases and asthma: The ARIA‐EAACI approach – ARIA‐EAACI Task Force Report

Abstract

Biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and follow‐up of patients with rhinitis and/or asthma are urgently needed. Although some biologic biomarkers exist in specialist care for asthma, they cannot be largely used in primary care. There are no validated biomarkers in rhinitis or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) that can be used in clinical practice. The digital transformation of health and health care (including mHealth) places the patient at the center of the health system and is likely to optimize the practice of allergy. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) developed a Task Force aimed at proposing patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) as digital biomarkers that can be easily used for different purposes in rhinitis and asthma. It first defined control digital biomarkers that should make a bridge between clinical practice, randomized controlled trials, observational real‐life studies and allergen challenges. Using the MASK‐air app as a model, a daily electronic combined symptom‐medication score for allergic diseases (CSMS) or for asthma (e‐DASTHMA), combined with a monthly control questionnaire, was embedded in a strategy similar to the diabetes approach for disease control. To mimic real‐life, it secondly proposed quality‐of‐life digital biomarkers including daily EQ‐5D visual analogue scales and the bi‐weekly RhinAsthma Patient Perspective (RAAP). The potential implications for the management of allergic respiratory diseases were proposed.

Tele-Monitoring Applications in Respiratory Allergy

“…E-health strategies aim at overcoming barriers to accessing healthcare services in certain aspects currently hampering optimal disease management, reducing health-related costs and medical errors, and most importantly, encouraging disease awareness and shared decision-making [28,29].…”

Contribution of MASK-air® as an mHealth Tool for Digitally Enabled Person-Centered Care in Rhinitis and Asthma

“…sputum eosinophils or FeNO), they cannot be largely used in primary care. Considering the potential of mHealth for patient monitoring, ARIA and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) developed a taskforce aimed at proposing digital biomarkers that can be easily used for different purposes in rhinitis and asthma and make a bridge between clinical practice, RCTs and allergen challenges [26]. Such taskforce has resulted in the development and validation -based on the MASK-air ® app -of the CSMS and the e-DASTHMA.…”

“…The development of the CSMS and of the e-DASTHMA has allowed for the proposal of a new approach for monitoring the control of rhinitis and asthma [27]. This new approach involves the combined assessment of allergic diseases both on their long-term control (using tools such as the CARAT, which has a recall period of four weeks) and on their daily control (using the CSMS and/or the e-DASTHMA).…”