In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have used a urine test to identify and verify a patient’s type of asthma. The study, which has been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, lays the foundation for a more personalized diagnosis and may result in improved treatment of severe asthma in the future.

About 10% of the Swedish population suffers from asthma, a disease that has become increasingly widespread over the past 50 years, with annual global mortality of around 400,000 according to the World Health Organization. Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation in the airways, which can result in symptoms including coughing, mucous formation and shortness of breath.

There are many types of asthma, and symptoms can vary between individuals, from mild to severe. Currently, in order to make an asthma diagnosis, a wide-ranging investigation is conducted that can consist of multiple elements including patient interviews, lung function tests, blood tests, allergy investigations and x-rays.

“There are no simple methods to determine what type of asthma an individual has, knowledge that is particularly important in order to better treat patients suffering from the more severe types of the disease,” says Craig Wheelock, associate professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, and the last author of the study.