Better Diagnosis And Monitoring For Asthma Patients

This advice coincides with recent new articles covering the concerns that up to a million UK adults may have been wrongly diagnosed with asthma.

A Kent based company, Bedfont Scientific, has developed a range of testing equipment including the NObreath®, a clinically proven aid to better diagnosis and management of asthma.

The NObreath® measures the amount of nitric oxide molecules on the breath that are created by inflames airways in patients suffering from asthma, this measurement is known as the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels in the patient’s breath.

The NObreath® has been mentioned in the NICE guidelines as a suitable monitor for FeNO testing and in the FeNO testing is included in the NICE guidelines for aiding the diagnosis and managing the treatment of asthma sufferers; much like glucose tests and insulin doses for diabetics. The test takes less than 30 seconds to perform and can be carried out by a trained clinician, or in some cases by patients themselves.

NICE recently stated in new draft guidance that, “Testing for airway inflammation is increasingly used as a diagnostic strategy in clinical practice. This includes measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO).”

Jason Smith, General Manager at Bedfont Scientific, said, “We welcome this recent heightened awareness of asthma bought about by the recent findings from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. It is clear that there is a need for more accurate testing, and we are pleased to be heavily involved in improving things for asthma sufferers. We are seeing an increase in demand for non-invasive tests, such as our NObreath® breath analysis monitor, and will continue to work with top clinicians to improve the quality of life for asthma sufferers.”

Kay Boycott, Chief Executive at Asthma UK says, “We welcome the NICE guideline for the improvement of asthma diagnosis in the hope that this will help people with asthma receive more personalised care. For anyone with an asthma diagnosis, it is vital they have the right medication and a plan to better manage their condition and any asthma attacks.”
The Royal Brompton Hospital in London is currently working with the NObreath® monitor to look for ways to better predict when an asthma attack may occur, thereby reducing the risk to asthma sufferers and the likelihood of admission to hospital as a result of a serious asthma attack.

Dr Uruj Hoda at the Royal Brompton Hospital said, “We are very excited about the potential for FeNO breath tests such as those developed by Bedfont Scientific to improve the diagnosis and management of the condition and as a predictor as to when an asthma attack is likely. If we can better predict an attack then we may be able to better treat it before it becomes a serious, possibly life-threatening episode that would require a hospital admission.”