Anti-IL-5 and anti-IL-5 receptor therapy significantly improves quality of life and FEV1 values in patients with severe asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways triggered by exogenous antigens. Among its variants, it is crucial to differentiate between severe asthma and asthma, which is difficult to control. Severe asthma is characterized by a lack of response to high doses of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-2 agonists, whereas difficult-to-control asthma is associated with poor adherence to treatment, inappropriate use of inhalers, or the presence of uncontrolled comorbidities. In recent years, the use of monoclonal antibodies directed against interleukin-5 (anti-IL-5) and its receptor alpha (anti-IL-5R) has proven to be an effective therapeutic option for patients with severe asthma by reducing the number of eosinophils, which may promote disease remission. This study aimed to evaluate clinical improvement and remission in patients with severe asthma treated with anti-IL-5 and anti-IL-5R antibodies over a period of 12 months. A cohort study was conducted with 49 patients who were diagnosed with severe eosinophilic asthma and who did not respond to conventional treatment. During follow-up, medical control was carried out every 3 months via spirometry, eosinophil counts, quality of life scales and disease control. The results revealed an improvement in FEV1 from 3 months of treatment, with statistical significance at 12 months in patients treated with anti-IL-5 and at 9 months in those treated with anti-IL-5R. In addition, better perceptions of asthma control and quality of life were observed, with significant differences at 6 and 12 months. The correlations between spirometry and the ACT, ACQ and AQLQ reflect a progressive recovery of well-being and function. Finally, the remission rate was 41.1% with anti-IL-5 therapy and 47.3% with anti-IL-5R therapy after one year of follow-up. These findings support the efficacy of treatment with anti-IL-5 and anti-IL-5R in improving severe asthma control and patients' quality of life, suggesting their key role in disease remission.