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PubMed2004

Variations in asthma care by race/ethnicity among children enrolled in a state Medicaid program.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in the process of care for Medicaid-enrolled white, Hispanic, and black children with asthma. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using Medicaid claims data to analyze the process of asthma care in 1994, including all white (non-Hispanic), black (non-Hispanic), and Hispanic children (aged 2-18 years) with asthma in the non-health maintenance organization portion of the Massachusetts Medicaid program (N = 5773). Main outcome measures included performance on 6 claims-based process-of-care measures that reflect national guidelines. Measures addressed primary and specialty care for asthma, appropriate asthma pharmacotherapy, and timely follow-up care after asthma emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. RESULTS: Controlling for case mix, provider type, disability status, age, and gender, Hispanic children with asthma were 39% less likely than white children to have a specialist visit for asthma (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61; confidence interval [CI]: 0.46-0.81) and 41% less likely to receive a follow-up visit within 5 days of being seen in the ED for asthma (OR: 0.59; CI: 0.36-0.95). However, Hispanic children received better care in 2 respects. They were 16% more likely than white children to receive a minimum of 2 asthma visits per year (CI: 1.01-1.34) and 27% less likely to be overprescribed beta-agonist medications (OR: 0.73; CI: 0.54-0.99). Black children were 64% less likely than white children to receive timely follow-up care after being seen in the ED for asthma (OR: 0.36; CI: 0.18-0.73). There were no racial/ethnic differences in the prescribing of antiinflammatory medications or timely follow-up care after an asthma hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates important differences in the process of care experienced by racial/ethnic subpopulations within a Medicaid population, which may help explain differential outcomes. Efforts to improve asthma outcomes should target specific areas in which black and Hispanic children may be receiving suboptimal care.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Spatial accessibility of primary care pediatric services in an urban environment: association with asthma management and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Disadvantaged urban children with asthma depend heavily on emergency departments (EDs) for episodic care. We hypothesized that among an urban population of children with asthma, higher spatial accessibility to primary care pediatric services would be associated with (1) more scheduled primary care visits for asthma, (2) better longitudinal asthma management, and (3) fewer unscheduled visits for asthma care. METHODS: We enrolled children aged 12 months to 17 years, inclusive, who sought acute asthma care in an urban pediatric ED. Eligibility criteria included a history of unscheduled visits for asthma in the previous year. We collected comprehensive data on each participant's asthma medical management and prior health care utilization. In addition, we calculated each participant's spatial accessibility to primary care pediatric services, reported as a provider-to-population ratio at their place of residence. Patients then were stratified by their spatial accessibility to care and compared with respect to measures of medical management and health care utilization. RESULTS: Among the 411 eligible participants, the spatial accessibility of primary care ranged from 7.4 to 350.2 full-time pediatric providers per 100,000 children <18 years of age, with a mean of 57.7 +/- 40.0. Patients in the middle and highest tertiles of spatial accessibility made significantly more scheduled visits for asthma care than patients in the lowest tertile. There were no differences among tertiles of accessibility with respect to asthma management or with respect to unscheduled visits for asthma care. CONCLUSIONS: Within this highly urban, largely disadvantaged and minority population of children with chronic asthma, patients with higher spatial accessibility to primary care services made significantly more scheduled visits for asthma care.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

A randomized clinical trial of clinician feedback to improve quality of care for inner-city children with asthma.

CONTEXT: Barriers impede translating recommendations for asthma treatment into practice, particularly in inner cities where asthma morbidity is highest. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of timely patient feedback in the form of a letter providing recent patient-specific symptoms, medication, and health service use combined with guideline-based recommendations for changes in therapy on improving the quality of asthma care by inner-city primary care providers and on resultant asthma morbidity. This was a randomized, controlled clinical trial in 5- to 11-year-old children (n = 937) with moderate to severe asthma receiving health care in hospital- and community-based clinics and private practices in 7 inner-city urban areas. The caretaker of each child received a bimonthly telephone call to collect clinical information about the child's asthma. For a full year, the providers of intervention group children received bimonthly computer-generated letters based on these calls summarizing the child's asthma symptoms, health service use, and medication use with a corresponding recommendation to step up or step down medications. We measured the number and proportion of scheduled visits resulting in stepping up of medications, asthma symptoms (2-week recall), and health care use (2-month recall). RESULTS: In this population, only a modest proportion of children whose symptoms warranted a medication increase actually had a scheduled visit to reevaluate their asthma treatment. However, in the 2-month interval after receipt of a step-up letter, 17.1% of the letters were followed by scheduled visits in the intervention group compared with scheduled visits 12.3% of the time by the control children with comparable clinical symptoms. Asthma medications were stepped up when indicated after 46.0% of these visits in the intervention group compared with 35.6% in the control group, and when asthma symptoms warranted a step up in therapy, medication changes occurred earlier among the intervention children. Among children whose medications were stepped up at any time during the 12-month study period, those in the intervention group experienced 22.1% fewer symptom days and 37.9% fewer school days missed. The intention-to-treat analysis showed no difference over the intervention year in the number of symptom days, yet there was a trend toward fewer days of limited activity and a significant decrease in emergency department visits by the intervention group compared with controls. This 24% drop in emergency department visits resulted in an intervention that was cost saving in its first year. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-specific feedback to inner-city providers increased scheduled asthma visits, increased asthma visits in which medications were stepped up when clinically indicated, and reduced emergency department visits.

Asthma↗

PubMed2006

Forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentage improves the classification of severity among children with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: Spirometry is an important component of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines for asthma, yet published data show variable associations between forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentage (FEV1%) predicted, symptoms and health care utilization. The objective of this analysis was to examine the association between FEV1% and future risk of exacerbations among a well-characterized population of children with asthma. METHODS: Using data that are available from the Childhood Asthma Management Program, we examined the relationship between prebronchodilator FEV1% and important clinical outcomes. Multiple observations of FEV1 were available for each patient; multivariate regression analysis, using a general estimating equation approach, was used to control for the correlation between repeated measurements among individuals and potential confounders. FEV1% was categorized into 4 levels and as a continuous variable. Outcomes of interest included mean symptom score (0-3), episode-free days, and asthma-related events (oral steroid use, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations) during the ensuing 4-month period. Our analysis was limited to the placebo group (N = 417). RESULTS: We observed a clear relationship between prebronchodilator FEV1% and important clinical outcomes. In multivariable models that simultaneously controlled for covariates of interest, age at baseline, time, previous event history, and nocturnal awakenings, a significant relationship between FEV1% and asthma symptoms and serious asthma exacerbations (oral steroids, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations) was observed. Compared with children with an FEV1% > or = 100%, children with FEV1% 80% to 99%, 60% to 79%, and < 60% were 1.3, 1.8, and 4.8, respectively, more likely to have a serious asthma exacerbation during the ensuing 4 months. CONCLUSIONS. In children with mild to moderate asthma, FEV1% predicted is independently associated with future asthma symptoms and health care utilization. Previous asthma-related hospitalizations and nocturnal symptoms also were independently associated with risk for future adverse events. FEV1 is an important component of asthma health status and asthma severity classification.

Albuterol↗

PubMed2005

[The association between low birthweight and asthma: a systematic literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is an association between low birthweight (< 2,500 g) and asthma. RESULTS: The key words "asthma," "children," "birth weight," and "risk factors" were used to identify analytical epidemiological studies on humans that were published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish between 1990 and 2001 and that were indexed in either of two bibliographic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed) and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS)). We identified 41 articles dealing with the association between birthweight and asthma: 21 were longitudinal studies, 16 were cross-sectional studies, and 4 were case-control studies. Low birthweight was identified as a risk factor for asthma in 26 of the articles. Two studies found an inverse association between birthweight and risk for asthma, and 15 did not find any association. CONCLUSIONS: The association between low birthweight and asthma remains controversial, mainly due to the extensive network of factors that contribute to the development of asthma. The association between low birthweight and asthma occurs mainly among children up to 5 years of age, and it decreases as age increases. Pulmonary function is an important factor that needs to be considered. Low birthweight children may have decreased pulmonary function and consequently develop asthma. On the other hand, these children may have asthma as a consequence of low birthweight, without pulmonary function being a factor. In the six studies comparing low birthweight children (< 2,500 g) with very low birthweight children (< 1,500 g), very low birthweight was associated with a greater risk for developing asthma. Finally, the contribution of intrauterine factors (such as nutrition) in the development of asthma is receiving increasing attention in the scientific literature. Controlling for possible confounding factors is essential to clarifying the relationship between birthweight and asthma.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Overcoming gaps in the management of asthma in older patients: new insights.

Asthma is under-recognised and undertreated in older populations. This is not surprising, given that one-third of older people experience significant breathlessness. The differential diagnosis commonly includes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, malignancy, aspiration and infections. Because symptoms and signs of several cardiorespiratory diseases are nonspecific in older people and diseases commonly co-exist, investigations are important. A simple strategy for the investigation of breathlessness in older people should include a full blood count, chest radiograph, ECG, peak flow diary and/or spirometry with reversibility as a minimum. If there are major abnormalities on the ECG, an echocardiogram should also be performed. Diurnal variability in peak flow readings >or=20% or >or=15% reversibility in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, spontaneously or with treatment, support a diagnosis of asthma. Distinguishing asthma from COPD is important to allow appropriate management of disease based on aetiology, accurate prediction of treatment response, correct prognosis and appropriate management of the chest condition and co-morbidities. The two conditions are usually readily differentiated by clinical features, particularly age at onset, variability of symptoms and nocturnal symptoms in asthma, supported by the results of reversibility testing. Full lung function tests may not necessarily help in differentiating the two entities, although gas transfer factor is characteristically reduced in COPD and usually normal or high in asthma. Methacholine challenge tests previously mainly used in research are now also used widely and safely to confirm asthma in clinical settings. Interest in exhaled nitric oxide as a biomarker of airways inflammation is increasing as a noninvasive tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. Regular inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the mainstay of treatment of asthma. Even in mild disease in older adults, regular preventive treatment should be considered, given the poor perception of bronchoconstriction by older asthmatic patients. If symptoms persist despite ICS, addition of long-acting beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists (LABA) should be considered. Addition of LABA to ICS improves asthma control and allows reduction in ICS dose. However, older people have been grossly under-represented in trials of LABA, many trials having excluded those >or=65 years of age. On meta-analysis, beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists (both short acting and long acting) are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in asthma and COPD. While the evidence for excess cardiovascular mortality is stronger for short-acting beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists, it would be prudent to exercise particular care in using beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists (long acting and short acting) in those at risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including older people. Regular review of cardiovascular status (and monitoring of serum potassium concentration) in patients taking beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists is crucial. The response to LABA should be carefully monitored and alternative 'add-on' therapy such as leukotriene receptor antagonists (LRA) should be considered. LRA have fewer adverse effects and in individual cases may be more effective and appropriate than LABA. Long-term trials evaluating beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists and other bronchodilator strategies are needed particularly in the elderly and in patients with cardiovascular co-morbidities. There is no evidence that addition of anticholinergics improves control of asthma further, although the role of long-acting anticholinergics in the prevention of disease progression is currently being researched. Older patients need to be taught good inhaler technique to improve delivery of medications to lungs, minimise adverse effects and reduce the need for oral corticosteroids. Nurse-led education programmes that include a written asthma self-management plan have the potential to improve outcomes.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Assessment of the relationship between measures of disease severity, quality of life, and willingness to pay in asthma.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to evaluate the relationship between willingness-to-pay (WTP), quality-of-life (QOL), and disease-severity measures in patients with asthma. The hypothesis studied was that patients with asthma with more severe disease are willing to pay more for a hypothetical cure of asthma than those with less severe disease. DESIGN SETTING/PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: One hundred patients with asthma were recruited from community pharmacies in Kentucky for 30-minute face-to-face interviews. INTERVENTIONS: Spirometry assessed objective disease severity in terms of pulmonary function, while a multiple choice question measured subjective disease severity. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) health survey and Asthma Technology of Patient Experience (Asthma TyPE) measured quality of life. WTP was obtained via a dichotomous choice contingent valuation question. RESULTS: In this exploratory evaluation, WTP was significantly related to both objective disease severity (p = 0.02) and subjectively assessed disease severity (p = 0.01). For objective disease severity the mean monthly WTP was dollars US90 for mild asthma, dollars US131 for moderate asthma and dollars US331 for severe asthma and for subjective disease severity the mean monthly WTP was dollars US48 for mild asthma, dollars US166 for moderate asthma and dollars US241 for severe asthma. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the WTP for a cure from asthma is related to both objective and subjective disease severity. These findings contribute to the case for construct validity of the dichotomous choice contingent valuation method in the healthcare sector.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination: a pharmacoeconomic review of its use in the management of asthma.

UNLABELLED: Asthma guidelines recommend an inhaled corticosteroid plus a long-acting inhaled beta(2)-agonist (beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist) as the preferred maintenance therapy for moderate and severe persistent asthma. Advair/Seretide Diskus also registered as Accuhaler is fixed-dose salmeterol (a long-acting inhaled beta(2)-agonist) and fluticasone propionate (a corticosteroid) administered via a single powder inhalation device. The clinical effectiveness of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate in patients with persistent asthma symptoms has been established in comparative clinical trials. Pharmacoeconomic analyses, based on data from these clinical trials, have been conducted from a healthcare payer perspective in various countries. In patients with asthma not controlled with inhaled corticosteroids, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate was associated with more favourable (lower) cost-effectiveness ratios than fluticasone propionate monotherapy, oral montelukast plus inhaled fluticasone propionate, inhaled budesonide, and inhaled formoterol plus budesonide. As the initial maintenance therapy in patients with persistent asthma symptoms while receiving short-acting beta(2)-agonists alone, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate was cost effective relative to montelukast monotherapy. Although the total cost of asthma management tended to be slightly higher with salmeterol/fluticasone propionate than with fluticasone propionate or montelukast monotherapy, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate consistently had a more favourable cost-effectiveness ratio in terms of per successfully treated week or symptom-free day and/or was associated with small incremental costs to achieve significant additional clinical benefits. In clinical practice, salmeterol plus fluticasone propionate was associated with lower asthma-related costs than treatment with other maintenance therapies.In patients with asthma symptoms despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate produced clinically meaningful improvements in overall Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) scores relative to salmeterol or placebo monotherapy, in emotional function domain scores relative to fluticasone propionate or budesonide, and in asthma symptoms domain scores relative to budesonide. In patients with persistent asthma symptoms while receiving short-acting beta(2)-agonists alone, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate produced clinically meaningful improvements in overall AQLQ scores compared with fluticasone propionate or montelukast. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacoeconomic analyses indicate that salmeterol/fluticasone propionate administered via a single inhaler represents a cost-effective treatment option (relative to fluticasone propionate at the same nominal dosage, budesonide, formoterol plus budesonide and montelukast plus fluticasone propionate) in patients with asthma not controlled with inhaled corticosteroid therapy. In patients with asthma not controlled with short-acting beta(2)-agonists alone, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate is a cost effective treatment relative to monotherapy with montelukast. Importantly, salmeterol/fluticasone propionate is also associated with improvements in health-related quality of life.

Albuterol↗

PubMed2002

Genetic analyses in asthma: current concepts and future directions.

Asthma is a complex genetic disorder with a heterogeneous phenotype, largely attributed to the interactions among many genes and between these genes and the environment. Numerous loci and candidate genes have been reported to show linkage and association of asthma and the asthma-associated phenotypes, atopy, elevated immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and bronchial hyper-responsiveness to alleles of microsatellite markers and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within specific cytokine/chemokine, and IgE regulating genes. While many studies reporting these observations are compelling, only one asthma gene conferring high risk has been mapped. In this review, we present studies that support linkage and/or associations to the various genetic loci and genes in asthma. The first genome-wide scan for linkage to quantitative traits underlying asthma identified linkage on chromosome 4q, 6, 7, 11q, 13q and 16. A genome scan in American families from three racial groups revealed linkage to chromosome 2q, 5q, 6p, 12q, 13q and 14q. A two-stage scan in Hutterite families from the US found linkage on chromosome 5q, 12q, 19q and 21q. A screen in German families identified linkage to asthma on chromosome 2q, 6p, 9 and 12q and a two-stage genome scan in French families found replicated linkage on chromosomes 1p, 12q and 17q. A study of asthma in Finland showed linkage to high IgE on 7q14. Apart from a European linkage study of 199 families with atopic dermatitis, which demonstrated significant linkage to chromosome 3q21, three other studies have reported linkage results of genome-wide significance, including a linkage study in 175 Icelandic asthma families (14q24), a study in 533 Chinese families with bronchial hyper-responsiveness (chromosome 2) and a study in 47 Japanese families with mite-sensitive atopic asthma (5q31), suggesting that these regions may harbor genes contributing to the development of asthma and allergies. While significant progress has been made in the field of asthma genetics in the past decade, the clinical implications of the genes and genetic variations within the numerous candidate asthma genes that have been found to associate with the expression of the asthmatic phenotype, remain undetermined.

Asthma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bronchiectasis and chronic asthma: how common in pediatrics?

Asthma represents one of the most common chronic medical conditions affecting children. Although complications of asthma are rare, they deserve consideration when treating children with asthma. The aim of this study was report our experience with an 11-year-old boy with asthma that was complicated by bronchiectasis and to review our hospital's 10-year experience with bronchiectasis. We observed clinical and laboratory findings in a young boy with chronic asthma who developed bronchiectasis, reviewed medical records of 53 children with bronchiectasis followed at a university children's hospital to identify etiologies of bronchiectasis, and reviewed articles in the medical literature. Complications of asthma along with their diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment options are outlined in the discussion section. We describe the case of an 11-year-old boy with chronic asthma who did not respond to conventional asthma management and was found to have bronchiectasis. A detailed workup undertaken to identify the cause was negative for usual etiologies of bronchiectasis. In this patient, bronchiectasis was felt to be secondary to a long-standing history of asthma. Aggressive treatment of bronchiectasis led to significant improvement of asthma. Among 53 patients admitted for bronchiectasis, only 3 cases (5.6%) of asthma were identified. Cystic fibrosis (50.9%) and infection (13.2%) were the most common etiologies identified in our hospital's experience. No clear etiology was identified in 1.8% of patients. Although rare, bronchiectasis does occur in patients with chronic asthma. It is important that complications be recognized and treated for optimal management of asthma.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Asthma morbidity in Australia: an epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and management of asthma in adults and children in a population sample in eastern Australia. SETTING: A random sample of children from 33 primary schools in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Upper Hunter Valley (New South Wales), and their parents. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analytic survey of 8753 primary school children aged between 5 and 12 years, and their parents (n = 13,945 adults). Asthma prevalence and management practices were determined by parental responses to a questionnaire, and spirometry was performed in children with "probable asthma". RESULTS: Of 8753 children whose parents responded, the prevalence of current wheeze was 19.5% and diagnosed asthma was 17.1%. Of the children with "probable asthma", 30% had their lung function measured in the previous year, and 6% possessed both a peak flow meter and an action plan for their asthma. Undertreatment was likely, as preventive asthma medications (inhaled corticosteroids or sodium cromoglycate) were used regularly by only 25.5% of these children and by 44.3% of children who had asthma symptoms more than twice per week. Children with the diagnosis of asthma reported higher rates of preventive medication use and ventilatory function measurement than children with frequent symptoms without the diagnosis. In the 13,945 adults, the reported prevalence of asthma was 7%, of whom 39% were using preventive medications, 34% had their ventilatory function assessed in the previous year, and 7% had both a peak flow meter and an asthma action plan. CONCLUSIONS: The study illustrated the gap between the current level of asthma management in the community and the standards set by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. Undertreatment and suboptimal management of asthma remain important problems in Australia.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed1992

Are children with asthma affected by smog?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between atmospheric smog and emergency department attendances in children with asthma. DESIGN: The number of child attendances with acute asthma was calculated retrospectively for each day of the 1989 calendar year. Daily smog data for 1989 were then obtained from the Environment Protection Authority of Victoria, and were related statistically to asthma attendances. SETTING: The Emergency Department of the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, which provides primary, secondary and tertiary level health care to the children of Victoria. PATIENTS: All children over two years of age with acute asthma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The number of attendances with asthma each day for the 1989 calendar year. RESULTS: Smog alerts (smog days predicted by the Environment Protection Authority) and smog episodes (actual smog days of all types) were not significantly related to asthma attendances. A significant relationship was noted, however, between asthma attendances and days when the airborne particulate index was above the acceptable threshold. No relationship was found between asthma attendances and ozone levels (a marker of photo-oxidant smog), or between any smog index and days of unusually high asthma attendance (asthma epidemic days). All smog variables combined explained only 2.3% of the variance in asthma attendance. CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall contribution of smog to asthma attendances in children is small, the correlation between asthma attacks and airborne particles is a hitherto unreported finding in Australia and is potentially of public health importance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Distinguishing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: why, why not and how?

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW: What are the essential differences in the inflammatory process that lead to different pathological outcomes in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? What factors cause some patients with asthma to have clinical features indistinguishable from COPD, and should these patients be treated differently from those with early-onset, atopic asthma? What should be added to FEV(1) improvement after bronchodilator to enhance the ability of spirometry to distinguish between asthma and COPD? Why is disturbed gas exchange characteristic of stable COPD but rare in asthma? Why and when does COPD become a systemic disease with multiorgan dysfunction, while asthma generally does not? Does the response to bronchodilators in asthma and COPD predict prognosis and response to other interventions? Do people with asthma (airway obstruction, hyper-responsiveness and atopy) and COPD (fixed airflow limitation) have different natural histories, responses to treatment and prognoses? WHAT WE NEED TO DO: Evaluate new diagnostic tools (eg, indirect markers of inflammation) for asthma and COPD. Target older people in epidemiological studies to identify and describe the extent of asthma. Initiate community awareness programs to help older people with dyspnoea recognise they may have symptoms of asthma or COPD that should be assessed by a doctor. Define the clinical and physiological features of asthma and COPD in older people that indicate when and which treatments will achieve maximum benefit with least harm. Develop strategies for better, patient-focused care of people with severe airway disease, concentrating on device use, action plans, side effects, end-of-life decisions, exercise and independence in activities of daily living. Maintain research into new drugs and targets for preventing progressive loss of lung function in asthma and COPD.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Asthma controller therapy: role of antileukotrienes, a new therapeutic class.

Asthma is a chronic disease and should be treated with both controller and reliever drugs. Asthma controller therapy is not used sufficiently widely, probably due to low compliance with inhaled drugs, lack of response in some patients to low-medium doses of inhaled steroids and possible adverse events. This review analyses a new class of antiasthmatic drugs, leukotriene receptor antagonists (antileukotrienes). At present, two antileukotrienes are available in Italy: zafirlukast and montelukast. Antileukotrienes improve symptoms and also inhibit the effects of some of the inflammatory mediators involved in the pathogenesis of asthma; therefore, antileukotrienes may be used in monotherapy. In addition, the oral administration route is an advantage for compliance. Antileukotrienes significantly improve pulmonary function, asthma symptoms and inhaled and oral steroid and short-acting beta 2-agonist use. Moreover, antileukotrienes produce a 50% mean reduction in the incidence of asthma exacerbations compared with placebo. From the economic point of view, asthma controller therapy using antileukotrienes is associated with a > 50% (compared with placebo) reduction in healthcare costs (hospitalization due to asthma exacerbation, healthcare contact and absenteeism from work or school), which globally account for 93% of asthma-related costs. Antileukotrienes are indicated in the treatment of persistent mild-to-severe asthma, seasonal allergic asthma, exercise-induced asthma and aspirin-induced asthma. Antileukotrienes are well tolerated independently of the duration of treatment and the incidence of the observed adverse events is substantially similar to that observed using placebo. Owing to good tolerability and compliance and the economic advantages, these agents may be considered a valid therapeutic option for the control and management of asthma as a chronic disease.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed1999

A descriptive analysis of asthma in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force.

BACKGROUND: The U.S. Navy Submarine Force offers a unique opportunity to study asthma because of the relative socioeconomic and physical homogeneity of the population and the closed environment occupational exposure. Currently, asthma is disqualifying from submarine service, which results in a significant loss of experienced personnel. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 119 U.S. Navy submariner disqualification packages for asthma between 1989-1993. RESULTS: We found a 0.16% annual period prevalence of asthma in the active duty enlisted Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force. Two groups of asthma disqualifications were identified with a significant increase above their proportional representation in the fleet: enlisted personnel (p < 0.01) and submarine recruits (p < 0.0001). The proportion of African-American personnel also had a tendency toward increased asthma disqualification (p < 0.08). There were no differences in prevalence of asthma between crews of ballistic missile submarines or fast attack submarines. Asthma risk factors reported in the civilian literature (childhood history of asthma, family history of asthma and non-drug allergies) were highly represented in our study (41%, 46% and 68% of submariners, respectively). Most disqualified submariners had "mild" asthma based on the diagnostic work-up. The methacholine challenge test appeared to carry a disproportionate diagnostic weight despite its low specificity. CONCLUSION: Although the period prevalence of asthma is low in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force, submariners disqualified for asthma have similar historical and ethnic risk factors as the civilian population.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Evidence-based treatments for acute asthma.

Asthma is an important health care problem; over 12 million people in the United States suffer from asthma, the majority of whom are young patients. Presentations of acute asthma to emergency departments are common. In the United States, acute asthma presentations account for close to 2 million emergency department visits annually, and these patients often exhibit acute and chronic markers of severe asthma; so controlling asthma is important from many perspectives. We review the evidence for various acute asthma therapies, using the highest levels of evidence, employing systematic reviews (especially those from the Cochrane Collaboration) and evidence from randomized controlled trials to guide therapy decisions. beta agonists and systemic corticosteroids are the cornerstones of initial treatment. Delivery of beta agonists via nebulizer or metered-dose inhaler with spacer device appear to be similarly efficacious. However, recent evidence from studies involving children and adults indicate that addition of ipratropium bromide to early beta agonist treatments may reduce airway obstruction and reduce hospital admissions, especially for more severe asthma. Evidence from systematic reviews indicates that intravenous magnesium sulfate may provide similar benefits in severe asthma. Antibiotics, intravenous beta agonists, and intravenous aminophylline have been shown to add little and may increase adverse effects. Treatment for discharged patients should include systemic corticosteroids for 5-7 days, for all but the mildest asthma. Addition of inhaled corticosteroids should be considered for most patients, since evidence suggests that inhaled corticosteroids may reduce relapses and improve quality of life. Alternative treatments such as long-acting beta agonists and leukotriene antagonists remain unproven in this setting. Linking a discharge plan to close follow-up and asthma education (especially an action plan) needs to be encouraged. Acute asthma is a common problem and treatment has improved dramatically over the past 10 years. Employing the evidence-based practice outlined above should reduce the burden of acute asthma on patients and the health care system.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

Self-reported asthma prevalence and control among adults--United States, 2001.

Asthma is a chronic illness that has been increasing in prevalence in the United States since 1980. In 2000, asthma accounted for 4,487 deaths, approximately 465,000 hospitalizations, an estimated 1.8 million emergency department (ED) visits, and approximately 10.4 million physician office visits among persons of all ages. To provide prevalence data for state and local health department asthma programs, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects data each year from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories. This report summarizes asthma prevalence data for adults collected from the 2001 BRFSS survey and from the eight states that used the adult asthma history module. Findings from BRFSS indicate that approximately 7.2% of U.S. adults have current asthma. ED visits for asthma varied more than any other characteristic among the eight states that used the adult asthma history module. In Mississippi, 67.3% of respondents with current asthma reported no ED visits during the preceding 12 months, compared with 87.6% in Washington state. Continued use of the BRFSS asthma prevalence questions and the asthma history module will allow state health departments to monitor trends in asthma prevalence and control and to direct public health asthma interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Recent trends in the prevalence and severity of childhood asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in the prevalence and distribution of childhood asthma and its relationship with various measures of children's health and functioning between 1981 and 1988. It was hypothesized that there would be an increase in the prevalence of asthma, especially among black children, and that available measures would suggest a deterioration in the health and functioning of children with asthma over this period. DESIGN: Analyses of data from the Child Health Supplements to the National Health Interview Survey. SETTING AND SAMPLE: Nationally representative random sample of 15,224 children aged 0 to 17 years in 1981 and 17,110 in 1988. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in (1) the prevalence and distribution of asthma, and (2) among children with asthma, the percentage of children hospitalized, days spent in bed, school days lost in the year prior to survey, and parent ratings and reports of children's overall health status and behavior problems. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of childhood asthma increased from 3.1% in 1981 to 4.3% in 1988 (P < .0001), with similar increases for children, adolescents, and both sexes. Increases occurred among white children (2.7% to 4.1%; P < .0001) but not black children (5.3% vs 5.1%; not significant). Among those with asthma in 1988 compared with 1981, there was better overall health status (11% vs 24% fair/poor; P < .0001) and fewer with 30 or more days spent in bed in the last year (3.9% vs 7.2%; P < .04). We also observed trends toward a lower rate of hospitalization in the last year (10% vs 14%; P = .07), fewer school days missed (2% vs 6% with > 30 days; P = .08), and a lower rate of extreme behavior problem scores (13% vs 18%; P = .09) in 1988 compared with 1981. Reductions were similar among both black and white children. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the estimated prevalence of asthma among children in the United States increased by almost 40%, and that although the increase occurred exclusively among white children, the prevalence of asthma still remains higher in black children than in white children. There was no support for increasing asthma severity and functional impact among either black or white children with asthma in 1988 compared with 1981. These findings provide no evidence to support the beliefs that asthma prevalence is increasing largely among black children or that the severity of asthma among most children in the United States is increasing.

Adolescent↗

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