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PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of asthma education on asthma severity, quality of life and environmental control.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have examined the influence of asthma education, focusing mainly on the use of health services. OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of an asthma education program (AEP) on airway responsiveness, asthma symptoms, patient quality of life (QOL) and environmental control. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, controlled study with parallel groups. SETTING: Three tertiary care hospitals in Quebec. POPULATION: One hundred and eighty-eight patients with moderate to severe asthma. INTERVENTION: After optimization of asthma treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, patients were randomly assigned to receive either an education program based on self-management (group E) or usual care (control group C). RESULTS: One year after an AEP, there was a significant decrease in the number of days per month without daytime asthma symptoms in group E only (P=0.03). Asthma daily symptom scores decreased significantly in group E in comparison with group C (P=0. 006). QOL scores improved markedly in both groups after treatment optimization during the run-in period (P<0.01). After an AEP, the QOL score increased further in group E patients in comparison with group C patients (P=0.04). The concentration of methacholine that induces a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (PC20) improved significantly in both groups (group E 1.2+/-1.1 to 2.4+/-0. 2, group C 1.5+/-1.2 to 2.4+/-1.3, P<0.01). After one year, 26 of 37 patients from group E sensitized to house dust mites (HDM) adopted the specific measures recommended to reduce their exposure to HDM, while none of the 21 subjects from group C did (P<0.001). Among the patients sensitized to cats or dogs, 15% of patients from group E and 23% of patients in group C no longer had a pet at home at the final visit (P>0.5). CONCLUSIONS: One year after the educational intervention, it was observed that the program had added value over and above that of optimization of medication and regular clinical follow-ups. The education program was highly effective in promoting HDM avoidance measures but minimally effective for removing domestic animals, suggesting that more efficient strategies need to be developed for the latter.

Albuterol↗
PubMed1996

IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA and protein in bronchial biopsies from patients with atopic and nonatopic asthma: evidence against "intrinsic" asthma being a distinct immunopathologic entity.

Intrinsic (nonatopic) asthma is considered to be a distinct pathogenetic variant of asthma since, unlike extrinsic (atopic) asthma, patients with the disease are skin test-negative to common aeroallergens, and have total serum IgE concentrations within the normal range. Nevertheless, the recent demonstration of increased numbers of cells expressing the high-affinity IgE receptor in bronchial biopsies from atopic and nonatopic asthmatic subjects, together with epidemiologic evidence indicating that serum IgE concentrations relate closely to asthma prevalence regardless of atopic status, suggests that IgE-mediated mechanisms may participate in the pathogenesis of both atopic and nonatopic asthma. Furthermore both variants of the disease are associated with bronchial mucosal eosinophilic inflammation. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is an essential cofactor for IgE synthesis, and there is strong evidence that IL-5 plays a major role in eosinophil accumulation in asthmatic inflammation. For these reasons we compared the expression of IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA and protein product using a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry in bronchial biopsies from symptomatic atopic and nonatopic asthmatic subjects and atopic and nonatopic controls. The results showed that as compared with controls, biopsies from both groups of asthmatic subjects had increased numbers of IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA copies relative to beta-actin mRNA as detected by RT-PCR. Similarly, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry demonstrated increased numbers of cells expressing IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA and protein in asthmatic subjects, irrespective of their atopic status. We conclude that individuals with either atopic or nonatopic asthma show infiltration of the bronchial mucosa with cells expressing Th2-type cytokines, providing further evidence for similarities in the immunopathogenesis of these clinically distinct forms of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Relationship between increased airway responsiveness and asthma severity in the childhood asthma management program.

The relationship between increased airway responsiveness and asthma severity in children is unclear. The Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP) with 1,041 children with mild to moderate asthma offers an opportunity to relate the concentration of methacholine that causes a 20% fall in FEV(1) (PC(20)) to level of lung function, occurrence of respiratory symptoms, duration of disease, and assessment of severity by clinical staff. Decreasing PC(20) was found to be associated with lower levels of lung function (prebronchodilator percent predicted FEV(1): r = 0.29, beta = 3.5, p < 0.001), the occurrence of chronic asthma symptoms, persistent wheezing (odds ratio [OR] = 1.66, p < 0.001), subjective clinical staff assessment of asthma severity (p < 0.001), and longer duration of asthma (r = -0.11, beta = -0.20, p < 0.002). These data provide evidence that the degree of airway responsiveness is linked to disease severity in children with mild to moderate asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program working group report on the quality of asthma care.

The quality of asthma care is the second topic of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Task Force Report on the Cost Effectiveness, Quality of Care, and Financing of Asthma Care. This working group recommended an asthma continuous quality improvement model as an appropriate framework for examining the quality of asthma care. This model can be implemented by various organizations and providers of care in a variety of settings. The framework consists of four steps: (1) define the opportunity for improvement, (2) set the asthma quality improvement goals (outcomes), (3) characterize the process of care, and (4) begin the improvement cycle. Several case studies are presented to illustrate the use of this model in various settings, including managed care facilities, emergency departments, teaching hospitals, physician's offices, schools, workplaces, and communities. In addition, the appendix provides an overview of asthma outcome measures in the framework of patient-centered versus organizationally based perspectives.

Asthma↗
PubMed1998

The Fresno Asthma Project: a model intervention to control asthma in multiethnic, low-income, inner-city communities.

The Fresno Asthma Project targeted the entire low-income, inner-city, multiethnic population of Fresno, California. For 36 months following a 6-month planning phase, continuing education was provided to a high proportion of physicians, pharmacists, nurses/respiratory therapists, emergency medical technicians, school personnel, and allied health professionals involved in asthma care in Fresno, including virtually all those providing care/services to the target population. Small group patient education was made available and provided in age- and culturally appropriate formats to patients/families in clinics, hospitals, and schools. General and ethnic media and a Speakers Bureau were used to raise public awareness of asthma as a serious but controllable health problem. This community intervention model is particularly appropriate to multiethnic communities. It is relatively low cost (total direct costs were $140,000 per year), uses existing educational resources, and appears to have minimized counterproductive competition. Although morbidity and mortality trend data are not yet available to monitor program impact, penetration into the target community has been substantial: community physicians refer patients to asthma classes, asthma educator training is ongoing through the local American Lung Association chapter, hospitals and managed care systems serving low- income/MediCal patients offer asthma classes, and public schools and HeadStart are institutionalizing asthma awareness and self-management classes.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A new asthma severity index: a predictor of near-fatal asthma?

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), measured as the provocative dose of inhaled histamine or methacholine required to produce a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (PD20), is widely used as one of the indices of asthma severity. Excessive bronchoconstriction, reflected by the maximal percentage fall in forced vital capacity (FVC) at PD20 (deltaFVC %) during BHR testing, is considered to be the most important pathophysiological determinant in fatal asthma. The present study hypothesized that an index which combines both the ease of airway narrowing and excessive bronchoconstriction, deltaFVC %/log(PD20), may be better in assessing asthma severity, especially in those at risk of near-fatal attacks. The dose-response curves of 46 asthmatics who underwent methacholine challenge testing were studied. Group 1 (n=14) patients had mild disease, Group 2 (n=21) had moderate disease and Group 3 (n=11) had severe disease, as classified according to the Global Initiative for Asthma. Nine patients had prior intubation for near-fatal asthma. deltaFVC %/log (PD20) was better than deltaFVC % and PD20 in categorizing patients into the three severity groups (p<0.0001), but more importantly, it was able to discriminate patients with previous intubation from those without (p=0.04). It also correlated better with FEV1 (% predicted), frequency of symptoms and inhaled steroid requirement than either index alone. It is concluded that the percentage fall in forced vital capacity/log of the provocative dose causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in one second combines information on the ease and excessive degrees of airway narrowing in asthma. This new index may be better at assessing asthma severity and in discriminating those at risk of near-fatal attacks.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Asthma medications and disease exacerbations: an epidemiological study as a method for asthma surveillance.

Recent experimental and epidemiological studies have suggested that outcomes of asthma are significantly influenced by treatment patterns. This study was conducted in order to investigate the links between treatment patterns in asthmatics and occurrence of disease exacerbations. We performed a nested case-control study in a cohort of 680 asthmatics identified between 1986 and 1991 in a drug dispensing database. After validation in a pilot study, the intermittent use of oral corticosteroids was used as a proxy for asthma exacerbations. Cases with an exacerbation (n=133) were pair-wise matched with controls. The type of medications used for the usual treatment of asthma were examined in relation to the risk of asthma exacerbation. The use of oral xanthines and inhaled fenoterol but not of inhaled salbutamol, corticosteroids, cromoglycate and ipratropium bromide was associated with an increased probability of asthma exacerbation. Within the cohort, the proportion of subjects dispensed inhaled corticosteroids rose from 12 to 27% between 1986 and 1991. The proportion of subjects using inhaled bronchodilators without inhaled corticosteroids also decreased over this period of time. The identification of markers of asthma exacerbations made it possible to link the probability of adverse outcome risk for such exacerbations with treatment patterns. This method could be useful in further development of asthma surveillance using drug dispensing databases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Montelukast, a potent leukotriene receptor antagonist, causes dose-related improvements in chronic asthma. Montelukast Asthma Study Group.

The leukotrienes are known to be important mediators of bronchial asthma. The ability of montelukast, a potent and selective CysLT1 leukotriene receptor antagonist, to cause a dose-related improvement in chronic asthma was investigated in a placebo-controlled, multicentre, parallel-group study. After a two week placebo run-in period, chronic asthmatic patients with a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 40-80% predicted with > or = 15% increase (absolute value) after beta2-agonist were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups (placebo or montelukast 2, 10, or 50 mg once daily in the evening) for a three week, double-blind treatment period. For patient-reported end-points (daytime symptom score, use of as needed inhaled beta2 agonist, asthma-specific quality of life) and frequency of asthma exacerbations, montelukast 10 and 50 mg caused similar responses, superior to 2 mg and significantly (p<0.05; linear trend test) different from placebo. All three doses caused improvements in FEV1 and morning and evening peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) that were significantly (p<0.05) different from placebo. Differences (least square mean) between the pooled 10 and 50 mg montelukast treatment groups and placebo were: 7.1% change from baseline in FEV1, 19.23 L x min(-1) in morning PEFR, -0.29 in daytime asthma symptom score (absolute value), and -0.82 in beta2-agonist use (puff x day(-1)). The incidence of adverse experiences was neither dose-related nor different between montelukast and placebo treatments. We conclude that montelukast causes a dose-related improvement in patient-reported asthma end-points over the range 2-50 mg. Montelukast causes benefit to chronic asthmatic patients by improving asthma control end-points.

Acetates↗
PubMed2002

Assessment of personal and community-level exposures to particulate matter among children with asthma in Detroit, Michigan, as part of Community Action Against Asthma (CAAA).

We report on the research conducted by the Community Action Against Asthma (CAAA) in Detroit, Michigan, to evaluate personal and community-level exposures to particulate matter (PM) among children with asthma living in an urban environment. CAAA is a community-based participatory research collaboration among academia, health agencies, and community-based organizations. CAAA investigates the effects of environmental exposures on the residents of Detroit through a participatory process that engages participants from the affected communities in all aspects of the design and conduct of the research; disseminates the results to all parties involved; and uses the research results to design, in collaboration with all partners, interventions to reduce the identified environmental exposures. The CAAA PM exposure assessment includes four seasonal measurement campaigns each year that are conducted for a 2-week duration each season. In each seasonal measurement period, daily ambient measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter with a mass median aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microm and 10 microm, respectively) are collected at two elementary schools in the eastside and southwest communities of Detroit. Concurrently, indoor measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 are made at the schools as well as inside the homes of a subset of 20 children with asthma. Daily personal exposure measurements of PM10 are also collected for these 20 children with asthma. Results from the first five seasonal assessment periods reveal that mean personal PM10 (68.4 39.2 microg/m(3)) and indoor home PM10 (52.2 30.6 microg/m(3)) exposures are significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the outdoor PM10 concentrations (25.8 11.8 microg/m(3)). The same was also found for PM2.5 (indoor PM2.5 = 34.4 21.7 microg/m(3); outdoor PM2.5 = 15.6 8.2 microg/m(3)). In addition, significant differences (p < 0.05) in community-level exposure to both PM10 and PM2.5 are observed between the two Detroit communities (southwest PM10 = 28.9 14.4 microg/m(3)), PM2.5 = 17.0 9.3 microg/m(3); eastside PM10 = 23.8 12.1 microg/m(3), PM2.5 = 15.5 9.0 microg/m(3). The increased levels in the southwest Detroit community are likely due to the proximity to heavy industrial pollutant point sources and interstate motorways. Trace element characterization of filter samples collected over the 2-year period will allow a more complete assessment of the PM components. When combined with other project measures, including concurrent seasonal twice-daily peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory volume at 1 sec and daily asthma symptom and medication dairies for 300 children with asthma living in the two Detroit communities, these data will allow not only investigations into the sources of PM in the Detroit airshed with regard to PM exposure assessment but also the role of air pollutants in exacerbation of childhood asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Differential influences on asthma self-management knowledge and self-management behavior in acute severe asthma.

AIM: While asthma education increases knowledge, it is less clear whether education influences actual patient behavior. To determine whether there are differences between asthma self-management knowledge and the actual behavior of patients during an acute severe asthma attack and to determine which clinical and psychosocial factors are associated with knowledge and behavior. METHODS: Validated hypothetical scenarios describing the development of life-threatening asthma and patients' reported actual behavior were scored (out of 25) using a system based on Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and British Thoracic Society criteria. RESULTS: In 137 patients admitted to the hospital with severe asthma, the pattern of the index attack was slow onset (> or = 6 h) in 96%. The score for the hypothetical attack (knowledge) was 13.8 +/- 4.6, while that for the timeline (behavior) was 10.2 +/- 3.9 (p < 0.001) with 56% and 84%, respectively, having a score of less than 15 (regarded as inadequate). Certain components showed marked discrepancy (eg, appropriately seeking medical help 82% vs 52% (p < 0.001) and calling ambulance 61% vs 23% (p < 0.001). Factors such as physician-patient relationship, previous asthma morbidity, availability of peak flowmeter, action plan, and oral steroids correlated positively with both measures. Knowledge was negatively associated with being non-European, with anxiety, pessimism, and stigmatization. Behavior (but not knowledge) was negatively associated with lack of knowledge of what to do in the index attack, previous emotional counseling, and business failure. Those factors associated with the difference between knowledge and behavior scores (knowledge-behavior gap) were being non-European, anxiety, pessimism, and stigmatization, concerns about medical costs, and the only income for the household being a Social Security benefit. CONCLUSION: There are marked differences between patients' self-management knowledge and their actual behavior, particularly in terms of potentially life-saving actions. Psychological, health-care, and socioeconomic factors have a powerful and differential influence on knowledge and behavior. Improved understanding of the discrepancies between knowledge and behavior and which factors influence them may lead to more effective asthma educational interventions.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

Prospective multicenter study of relapse following treatment for acute asthma among adults presenting to the emergency department. MARC investigators. Multicenter Asthma Research Collaboration.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with relapse following treatment for acute asthma among adults presenting to the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: Prospective inception cohort study performed during October 1996 to December 1996 and April 1997 to June 1997, as part of the Multicenter Asthma Research Collaboration. SETTING: Thirty-six EDs in 18 states. PATIENTS: ED patients, aged 18 to 54 years, with physician diagnosis of acute asthma. For the present analysis, we restricted the cohort to patients sent home from the ED (n = 971), then further excluded patients with comorbid respiratory conditions (n = 32). This left 939 eligible subjects to have follow-up data. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Two weeks after being sent home from the ED, patients were contacted by telephone. A relapse was defined as an urgent or unscheduled visit to any physician for worsening asthma symptoms during the 14-day follow-up period. Complete follow-up data were available for 641 patients, of whom 17% reported relapse (95% confidence interval, 14 to 20). There was no significant difference in peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) between patients who suffered relapse and those who did not. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis (controlling for age, gender, race, and primary care provider status), patients who suffered relapse were more likely to have a history of numerous ED (odds ratio [OD] 1.3 per 5 visits) and urgent clinic visits (OR 1.4 per 5 visits) for asthma in the past year, use a home nebulizer (OR 2.2), report multiple triggers of their asthma (OR 1.1 per trigger), and report a longer duration of symptoms (OR 2.5 for 1 to 7 days). CONCLUSION: Among patients sent home from the ED following acute asthma therapy, 17% will have a relapse and PEFR does not predict who will develop this outcome. By contrast, several historical features were associated with increased risk. Further research should focus on ways to decrease the relapse rate among these high-risk patients. The clinician may wish to consider these historical factors when making ED decisions.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

Asthma care practices, perceptions, and beliefs of Chicago-area primary-care physicians. Chicago Asthma Surveillance Initiative Project Team.

INTRODUCTION: Although primary-care physicians were a principal target audience for the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), there is little published information describing the postguideline asthma care practices of these physicians or their willingness to embrace the NAEPP guidelines. This study examines asthma care practices of Chicago-area primary-care physicians and assesses these practitioners' perceptions and beliefs about several aspects of the NAEPP guidelines. METHODS: In 1997, a self-administered survey was mailed to a randomly selected 10% sample of Chicago-area general pediatricians, internists, and family practitioners. RESULTS: Surveys were returned by 244 of the 405 eligible Chicago-area primary-care physicians (60.2%) in the sample. Of these, 66 (27.6%) were pediatricians, 83 (34.7%) were general internists, and 90 (37.7%) were family practitioners. Physicians reported that 54.6 +/- 2.7% (mean +/- SE) of patients with newly diagnosed asthma have spirometry performed as part of their initial evaluation. For patients with moderate persistent asthma, prescribing of inhaled corticosteroids varied by patient age, with 60.5% of physicians routinely prescribing them for patients < 5 years, compared with 95.7% of physicians prescribing them for patients > or = 5 years. Awareness of the NAEPP guide-lines among these physicians was high, with 88.5% reporting that they have heard of the guidelines, and 73.6% reporting having read them. Of patients with moderate or severe persistent asthma, physicians estimated that 47.7 +/- 2.7% were given written treatment plans. CONCLUSION: Several aspects of the NAEPP guidelines appear to have been incorporated into clinical practice by Chicago-area primary-care physicians, whereas other recommendations do not appear to have been readily adopted. This information suggests areas for interventions to improve primary care for asthma in the Chicago area.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Trends in emergency department asthma care in metropolitan Chicago: results from the Chicago Asthma Surveillance Initiative.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess trends in emergency department (ED) asthma care in a single large community and to address how these trends meet expectations of national guidelines for asthma care. DESIGN AND SETTING: This study is based on a repeated cross-sectional, self-administered survey of ED directors (or designees) in the Chicago area. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-one EDs that responded to both the 1996-1997 and 2000 surveys comprise the database for this study. RESULTS: Areas of significant improvement from 1996-1997 to 2000 include reduction in the use of theophylline (10.1% vs 3.1%, p < 0.0001), increased use of systemic steroid prescriptions at discharge (57.7% vs 77.2%, p < 0.0001), decreased use of arterial blood gas (ABG) analyses as part of the initial patient assessment (10.2% vs 4.5%, p = 0.02) and to document improvement after treatments (18.8% vs 8.9%, p = 0.03) and increased use of pulse oximetry as part of the initial patient assessment (95.1% vs 98.1%, p = 0.05). Areas of significant worsening of asthma care from 1996-1997 to 2000 include reduction in the use of ABG analyses in the assessment of severe cases (71.5% vs 47.5%, p < 0.0001), decreased use of instructions to inform patients what to do in the event of inability to attend their follow-up appointment (94.4% vs 38.9%, p = 0.0004), and decreased use of peak expiratory flow rate measurements to document improvement after treatments (82.7% vs 78.6%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: From 1996-1997 to 2000, ED asthma care in metropolitan Chicago has improved in some areas and worsened in others. However, most aspects of asthma care have continued to fall short of national asthma guidelines. The lack of overall improvement with the current widespread knowledge of national guidelines suggests that a dissemination strategy of medical education by itself is not sufficient to improve ED asthma care.

Asthma↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux in difficult asthma: relationship to asthma outcome.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-both symptoms and objective evidence-using 24-h dual-probe pH monitoring in difficult asthma, and the relationship between the presence and treatment of GERD to clinical outcome. DESIGN AND SETTING: As part of a systematic evaluation protocol, 68 subjects with difficult-to-control asthma attending a difficult asthma clinic were referred for dual-probe ambulatory pH esophageal monitoring. RESULTS: Esophageal probe data were available in 52 patients (76%) with difficult asthma. The prevalence of GERD/GERD-associated asthma symptoms was 75% (39 of 52 patients; 95% confidence interval [CI], 63 to 84.7%). The prevalence of GERD as evidenced by an abnormal pH profile at the distal esophageal probe was 55% (29 of 52 patients; 95% CI, 40 to 69%). The prevalence of GERD at the proximal probe was 34.6% (18 of 52 patients; 95% CI, 23.6 to 51%). The prevalence of GERD was similar in asthmatic subjects who responded to intervention and those who remained difficult to control (therapy resistant). Asymptomatic GERD was present in 9.6% (5 of 52 patients); 16% of cough episodes correlated with acid reflux. CONCLUSIONS: In difficult-to-control asthma, GERD is common, but identification and treatment of GERD do not appear to relate to improvement in asthma control in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The Salmeterol Multicenter Asthma Research Trial: a comparison of usual pharmacotherapy for asthma or usual pharmacotherapy plus salmeterol.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety of salmeterol xinafoate or placebo added to usual asthma care. DESIGN: A 28-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, observational study. SETTING: Study subjects were seen once in the study physician's office for screening and were provided all blinded study medication for the entire study period. Follow-up by telephone was scheduled every 4 weeks. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects (> 12 years old) with asthma as judged by the study physician were eligible. Individuals with a history of long-acting beta2-agonist use were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: Salmeterol, 42 mug bid via metered-dose inhaler (MDI), and placebo bid via MDI. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Following an interim analysis in 26,355 subjects, the study was terminated due to findings in African Americans and difficulties in enrollment. The occurrence of the primary outcome, respiratory-related deaths, or life-threatening experiences was low and not significantly different for salmeterol vs placebo (50 vs 36; relative risk [RR] = 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 2.14). There was a small, significant increase in respiratory-related deaths (24 vs 11; RR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.06 to 4.41) and asthma-related deaths (13 vs 3; RR, 4.37; 95% CI, 1.25 to 15.34), and in combined asthma-related deaths or life-threatening experiences (37 vs 22; RR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01 to 2.89) in subjects receiving salmeterol vs placebo. The imbalance occurred largely in the African-American subpopulation: respiratory-related deaths or life-threatening experiences (20 vs 5; RR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.54 to 10.90) and combined asthma-related deaths or life-threatening experiences (19 vs 4; RR, 4.92; 95% CI, 1.68 to 14.45) in subjects receiving salmeterol vs placebo. CONCLUSIONS: For the primary end point in the total population, there were no significant differences between treatments. There were small, but statistically significant increases in respiratory-related and asthma-related deaths and combined asthma-related deaths or life-threatening experiences in the total population receiving salmeterol. Subgroup analyses suggest the risk may be greater in African Americans compared with Caucasian subjects. Whether this risk is due to factors including but not limited to a physiologic treatment effect, genetic factors, or patient behaviors leading to poor outcomes remains unknown.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2001

Navajo perceptions of asthma and asthma medications: clinical implications.

BACKGROUND: Despite the large number of asthma patients, relatively little is known about the beliefs of asthmatic children and their parent(s), or the extent to which these beliefs influence management of the disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine how medication-taking and the use of health care services were influenced by perceptions of the disease and beliefs about medications among Navajo families. METHODS: Ethnographic interviews were used to investigate the disease and medication beliefs of 22 Navajo families with 29 asthmatic children. RESULTS: Most respondents perceived asthma as the transient experience of symptoms in someone who was chronically vulnerable to breathing problems. The majority (97%) of these asthmatics reported using bronchodilators, although only 34% reported current use of antiinflammatory medications. Although controller medications were distinguished from rescue medications, they were thought to have the same effect on the lungs. Many families were concerned about becoming dependent on the medicines and attempted to "wean" the asthmatic from the drugs. A large proportion (80%) of children had assumed responsibility for their own medication taking. Parents often referred to previous attacks requiring treatment in the emergency department when deciding whether to initiate medication or seek medical attention, often resulting in a delay of treatment. Nebulized treatments delivered in the emergency department were perceived to be the strongest therapy available. As a result, visits to the emergency department were common (79%), as were hospital admissions (57%). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that, among pediatric Navajo asthma patients, perceptions of asthma and beliefs about the activity of asthma medications influence when and how often asthma medicines are taken, as well as the use of health care services. In addition, excessive reliance on emergency treatments and the high rates of hospital admissions suggest that asthma is undertreated in this group of Navajo patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Assessment of asthma severity and asthma control in children.

National and international guidelines for asthma recommend the assessment and documentation of severity as the basis for patient management. However, studies show that there are problems with application of the severity assessment to children in clinical practice. More recently, asthma control has been introduced as a method to assess the adequacy of current treatment and inform asthma management. In this article we review the application and limitations of the severity assessment and the asthma-control tools that have been tested for use in children. A system of using asthma severity for disease assessment in the absence of treatment and using asthma-control assessment to guide management decisions while a child is receiving treatment appears to be a promising approach to tailor treatment to improve care and outcomes for children with asthma.

Asthma↗
PubMed2000

Guidelines update: where do the new therapies fit in the management of asthma? NHLBI and WHO Global Initiative for Asthma.

The new leukotriene (LT) modifiers have been shown to be effective, safe and convenient 'controller' medications in patients with asthma. However, their use in asthma is recommended only in the most recent US guidelines, and then only as alternative long term controllers in patients with mild persistent asthma. In fact, as has now been shown in a number of studies, LT modifiers are effective in a variety of other asthma settings, and it is expected that expanded roles for these agents will be described in future asthma guidelines. Until then, clinicians aware of the advantages of individualising asthma therapy might consider LT modifiers for the diverse range of patients with asthma who are likely to benefit from the use of these agents.

Anti-Asthmatic Agents↗