Selecting treatments according to genetic differences could help children and teenagers with asthma, according to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.
The trial, which compares patients treated according to small genetic differences with patients treated according to existing guidelines, is the first of its kind in children and teenagers.
Researchers say that more work is needed, but their findings hint that children's asthma symptoms could be better controlled with personalised treatments.
Treatment according to genotype meant the children were asked to give a sample of cells scraped from the inside of their cheeks.
These samples were tested for different versions of a particular gene, using a test that costs less than EUR20.
Previous research suggests that the majority of children with asthma will benefit from standard treatment with an asthma preventer called salmeterol in addition to their regular steroid inhaler.
However, around one in seven children have a small genetic difference that means using this medication could actually result in these children having more asthma symptoms