Asthma Attacks Predicted Years Ahead

A groundbreaking metabolomics approach developed by researchers at Mass General Brigham and Karolinska Institutet promises to predict asthma attacks up to five years in advance. The study, involving over 2,500 participants, identified a key biomarker: the ratio of specific fats called sphingolipids to naturally occurring steroid hormones.

This ratio has demonstrated remarkable accuracy, around 90 percent, in identifying individuals at high risk for future asthma attacks when combined with medication use and genetic history. This predictive capability far surpasses traditional clinical information, which yielded only 50-70 percent accuracy.

While the findings require further clinical testing before widespread application, the research team has patented the method. This innovation holds the potential to equip healthcare providers with a crucial tool for proactive asthma management, addressing a long-standing challenge in preventing severe episodes.