Noninvasive Cardiorespiratory Signals Analysis for Asthma Evolution Monitoring in Preschool Children

Objective: Despite its increasing prevalence, diagnosis of asthma in children remains problematic due to their difficulties in producing repeatable spirometric maneuvers. Moreover, low adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) treatment could result in permanent airway remodeling. The growing interest in a noninvasive and objective way for monitoring asthma, together with the apparent role of autonomic nervous system (ANS) in its pathogenesis, have attracted interest towards heart rate variability (HRV) and cardiorespiratory coupling (CRC) analyses. Methods: HRV and CRC were analyzed in 68 children who were prescribed ICS treatment due to recurrent obstructive bronchitis. They underwent three different electrocardiogram and respiratory signals recordings, during and after treatment period. After treatment completion, they were followed up during 6 months and classified attending to their current asthma status. Results: Vagal activity, as measured from HRV, and CRC, were reduced after treatment in those children at lower risk of asthma, whereas it kept unchanged in those with a worse prognosis. Conclusion: Results suggest that HRV analysis could be useful for the continuous monitoring of ANS anomalies present in asthma, thus contributing to evaluate the evolution of the disease, which is especially challenging in young children. Significance: Noninvasive ANS assessment using HRV analysis could be useful in the continuous monitoring of asthma in children.