Genetic tests may predict of hospital readmissions in newborns

The results of two separate research studies taking place at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics will help physicians predict which newborns may require readmission to the hospital shortly after birth. The studies will also help physicians identify which of their young patients are likely to respond well - or not - to steroid therapy for asthma.

Up to 85% of hospital readmissions during the first two weeks of life are due to hyperbilirubinemia, more commonly recognised as jaundice. New research being led by Susan Abdel-Rahman, PharmD, Professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, is identifying specific genetic markers that will enhance the ability to predict which newborns are at risk.

The goal of the research is to develop an electronic tool that can be used by clinicians in nurseries nationwide to improve prediction of risk for hyperbilirubinemia and prevent complications due to late detection. The study will be among the largest of its kind, aiming to enrol 3500 newborns.

A separate study being conducted by researchers at Children’s Mercy may lead to a method of predicting inhaled steroid sensitivity in patients with asthma. Inhaled steroids treat underlying inflammation in the lungs, a hallmark of asthma, and help keep the patient’s asthma under control. The drugs can be effective to help ease asthma symptoms, but they carry a risk of side effects and may not work in up to 35% of patients with asthma.

The asthma research is being led by Bridgette L Jones, MD, allergy, asthma and immunology and clinical pharmacology specialist, and Carrie A Vyhlidal, PhD, research scientist, pediatric clinical pharmacology, at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. The study uses tissue samples obtained from inside patients’ cheeks to identify genetic markers of steroid response among adult and paediatric patients. They are evaluating gene expression patterns between patients without asthma and those with asthma who may or may not be on inhaled corticosteroids. The research aims to identify ways to predict which patients will respond best to treatment.

“We anticipate this study will lay the groundwork for identifying subjects who will respond better to inhaled corticosteroids, and guide their treatment toward more useful therapies,” said Dr Jones. “While these drugs are beneficial for many children, it would save their families time, money and potential risk of side effects to know in advance how well therapy will work.”