Table 1

Overview of measurements per visit

Media/method

ED I

ED II

ED III

Follow- up

Definite diagnosis

Exhaled breath

Nitric Oxide

●

●

●

●

●

Volatile organic compounds

●

●

●

●

●

Exhaled breath condensate

Cytokines (IL1a,-2,-4,-5,-6,-10,- 12p70,-13,-18, IFNg, TNFa)

●

●

●

●

●

Chemokines (MIP1a, MIF, eotaxin, RANTES, IL8, MCP1)

●

●

●

●

●

Adhesion molecules (sICAM)

●

●

●

●

●

Nitrate/nitrite

●

●

●

●

●

Blood

White blood cell count, differentiation, number of eosinophils

●

Total Immunoglobulin E (IgE), and specific IgE

●

●

Regulatory T cells

●

Gene polymorphism (e.g. in IL-4, IL-13, TNF-alpha, ADAM33)

●

Gene expression (e.g. in IL-4, IL-13, TNF-alpha)

●

Anti bodies against Mycoplasma en Chlamydia pneumoniae

●

Saliva

Colonisation of Pneumococcen, Haemophilus (para)influenza, Staphylococcus aureus

●

●

Faeces

Colonisation of E.Coli en Clostridium difficile

●

Lung function test

Airway resistance (MicroRint) before and after bronchodilator

●

●

●

●

Dynamic spirometry (MEFV, FEV₁, FVC, MEF₅₀) before and after bronchodilator

●

Histamine provocation test

●

Questionnaire

Parental administrated respiratory symptoms (ISAAC)

●

●

●

●

●

Demographic factors (e.g. smoking, pets)

●

●

●

●

●

Parental administrated Quality of life (FSII)

●

●

●

●

●

ED I/II/III = Consecutive measurements in early diagnosis phase

van de Kant et al. BMC Public Health 2009 9:210   doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-210