Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Nov 12, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Nov 13, 2024 - Jan 8, 2025
Date Accepted: Jul 22, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Respiratory-Responsive Vocal Biomarker for Asthma Exacerbation Monitoring: Prospective Cohort Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Asthma exacerbations are a significant issue due to poor perception and failure of traditional monitoring techniques to capture real-time changes in respiratory function. There is a need for strategies to enhance recognition and facilitate timely intervention.
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of a respiratory-responsive vocal biomarker (RRVB), accessible via smartphone application, as a convenient real-time tool for monitoring asthma exacerbations and respiratory states.
Methods:
In this three-month prospective cohort study, 84 asthma patients recorded daily 6-second vocal samples, generating RRVB scores. The RRVB's ability to predict asthma exacerbations and respiratory states (normal function, mild events, exacerbations) was assessed using risk ratios (RR) and confidence intervals (CIs). Respiratory states were defined using peak expiratory flow (PEF) and self-reported wellbeing, with exacerbations identified by a decline in both PEF and wellbeing, and mild events by a decline in one measure.
Results:
RRVB scores significantly predicted asthma exacerbations, with a risk ratio of 2.15 (95% CI: 1.62-2.85, p < .001), and 3.57 (95% CI: 2.70-4.73, p < .001) using normalized scores adjusted for individual characteristics. However, time-averaged RRVB scores did not significantly correlate with asthma control as measured by the Asthma Control Test (ACT), with a risk ratio of 1.17 (95% CI: 0.96-1.44, p = .12). A total of 58% of participants remained engaged throughout the study, reporting high satisfaction with the tool's usability and perceived benefits for asthma management.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates potential enhancements in asthma management through more accessible and continuous monitoring of respiratory function offered by the RRVB tool, which was shown to provide an effective, real-time, and user-friendly approach for detecting potential exacerbations. Clinical Trial: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05850390
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Copyright
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