Influence of patients' characteristics and disease management on asthma control.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Although asthma control is a major outcome in disease management, little is known about its determinants.

OBJECTIVES:
We sought to study the relationships between asthma control and patient characteristics or asthma management.

METHODS:
Asthmatic patients (age 18-50 years) who were regular customers of pharmacies and had a prescription for an antiasthma medication were recruited consecutively. Patients completed a questionnaire, which was complemented by computerized pharmacy records of previously dispensed medications. Asthma control (adequate/inadequate) was assessed with the Asthma Control Test. Determinants of asthma control were identified by means of multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS:
The mean age of the 1351 patients included was 36.8 years (SD, 9.8), and 55.8% were women. A minority of patients were considered to have had their symptoms adequately controlled. Smoking, female sex, and a body mass index of greater than 30 kg/m2 were all independent determinants of inadequate control. Compared with patients receiving inhaled corticosteroid monotherapy, those who were dispensed fixed combinations of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists presented with a significantly lower risk of inadequate asthma control (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35-0.96).

CONCLUSION:
Asthma control varied according to both the patients' characteristics and therapy.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS:
Our results strongly support the need to improve asthma control, especially in primary care and in women. A regular use of fixed controller combinations, helping patients to quit smoking, or addressing weight issues might contribute to improvement in asthma control.

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Author information

Author/s: Laforest, Laurent (L); Van Ganse, Eric (E); Devouassoux, Gilles (G); Bousquet, Jean (J); Chretin, Stephanie (S); Bauguil, Gisele (G); Pacheco, Yves (Y); Chamba, Genevieve (G);

Affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, EA3091, Lyon, France.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jun; vol 117 (issue 6) : pp 1404-10

Dates: Created 2006/06/05; Completed 2006/07/19; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 16751004, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Anti-Asthmatic Agents - therapeutic use
Asthma - drug therapy; physiopathology; prevention & control
Disease Management
Drug Therapy, Combination
Female
Humans
Logistic Models

Associated Chemicals: Anti-Asthmatic Agents (0)

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