Temperature-Controlled Laminar Airflow Device Improves Asthma QoL

Use of the temperature-controlled Laminar Airflow (Airsonett AB) device at night was associated with an improved score on the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) in ≤3 months, according to a study published in Respiratory Medicine. Sleep quality-related answers within 1 month from the start of treatment appear to indicate treatment response.

This was a post-hoc analysis of a phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study that included 282 individuals aged 7 to 70 years with either a temperature-controlled Laminar Airflow device or placebo in their bedroom for 1 year. The AQLQ was administered to all participants. Time to onset of improvements for both AQLQ and the Asthma Control Test (ACT) was measured in all participants and in 3 designated subgroups. These included ACT<18, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)=4, and ACT<18 + GINA=4). Time to onset of improvements for temperature-controlled Laminar Airflow vs placebo was calculated using area-under-curve subtractive analysis from 12 months down to 1 month in 3-month increments for AQLQ score, its 4 domains, and the question pertaining to sleep.

Of the study population, 87 with acute, uncontrolled asthma on GINA step 4 showed 3-month improvement ≥0.5 points on AQLQ (0.57; P =.009) for temperature-controlled Laminar Airflow vs placebo. The minimum times to onset of improvements (within 1 month) were in the domains of environmental (0.68; P =.016) and sleep (0.771; P =.037) questions. Time to onset was 3 months for the emotional domain (0.66; P =.020) and the symptom domain (0.64; P =.014) and was 6 months for the activity domain (0.47; P =.036). Time to onset of improvements was statistically significant in all participants in the environment (0.309; P =.029) and symptoms domains (0.255; P =.039) at 9 months.

Limitations to this analysis included a post-hoc design, conservative approaches to individual tests, and missing data.

The researchers concluded that “nocturnal avoidance of allergens using [temperature-controlled Laminar Airflow] provides a clinically relevant improvement in total AQLQ score within 3 months in patients in the GINA 4 + ACT <18 group. Questions related to sleep quality may provide the first signal of response already within a month after treatment start.”

Disclosures: This study was funded by Airsonett AB. Several authors report financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, including Airsonett AB. For a full list of author disclosures, please see the reference.

Reference

Bjermer L, Eriksson G, Radner F, Peterson S, Warner JO. Time to onset of improvements in quality of life from temperature-controlled Laminar Airflow (TLA) in severe allergic asthma.  Respir Med. 2019;147:19-25.