Emerging Comorbidities in Adult Asthma: Risks, Clinical Associations, and Mechanisms

Prevalence of oral corticosteroid use in the German severe asthma population

AIMS

We investigated the prevalence of severe asthma, its comorbidities, and especially the use of oral corticosteroid (OCS) therapy in patients with severe asthma.

METHODS

Pooled data from 3 961 429 patients insured (with statutory health insurance) during the year 2015 were analysed. Prevalence rates of severe asthma and its OCS-associated comorbidities in patients on high-dosage (HD) inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) in combination with a long-acting β agonist (LABA) therapy were compared with those of patients who were also treated with OCSs.

RESULTS

The asthma prevalence was 7.3%, of which 8.7% (0.6% absolute) were treated with HD-ICS/LABAs. Of these, 33.6% received additional OCSs with calculated dosages between 0.9 and 9.1 mg·day-1. More than 80% of patients on HD-ICS/LABAs had at least one comorbidity. Disorders of the heart (67.5%), metabolism/ nutrition (51.4%), psychiatric disorders (36.0%), skeletal muscle/connective tissue and bone disorders (20.3%), and eye disorders (20.0%) were predominant. The prevalence of these disorders increased for patients also receiving OCS therapy, depending on the length of treatment. Mean therapy costs ranged from €4266 per patient without OCS therapy to €11 253 per patient on long-term OCS treatment. The largest share of costs was attributable to inpatient care.

CONCLUSION

The analyses show that OCSs are frequently prescribed in patients receiving HD-ICS/LABAs because of severe asthma and are they are frequently associated with adverse effects commonly reported with steroid usage. These data support a necessary change in severe asthma treatment, which is reflected in current treatment guidelines.

[The risk of medical comorbidity in mental disorders with a particular focus on depressive syndromes]

The risk of medical comorbidity in mental disorders with a particular focus on depressive syndromes Objectives: It has long been recognized that certain mental disorders, and in particular depressive syndromes, are associated with increased medical comorbidity. However, reliable data on the prevalence of comorbid medical diagnoses as well as the impact of these comorbidities on mortality are often rare and sometimes conflicting. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to provide a critical account of the current state of research on the comorbidities of medical and mental disorders, with a particular focus on depressive syndromes. Results: Among patients with mental disorders, all-cause mortality is about doubled as compared to the general population causing a significantly shortened life expectancy in the range of one to two decades. This excess mortality is primarily due to increased physical morbidity and mortality, and it cannot be excluded that, for patients with severe mental disorders, excess mortality has been increased over time. Depressive syndromes are often linked to a broad range of somatic symptoms and can be found in diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, overweight/obesity, and asthma. Conclusion: Current studies provide ample evidence of close interactions between physical and mental health. Further developments in the field of psychosomatic medicine should take into consideration the health-related consequences of these interactions.

Is there an association between asthma and periodontal disease among adults? Systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate a possible association between asthma and periodontal disease in adults. This study was conducted by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and the searches were performed on the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, LILACS, OpenGrey e Google Scholar. In this systematic review, observational studies with adult humans, which evaluated patients with and without asthma, were selected to verify the association between both diseases. To qualitative analysis, Fowkes and Fulton guidelines was used and for the quantitative analysis, it was used the mean and standard deviation from each group (with and without asthma), using confidence interval (CI) 95% and heterogeneity were tested using I² index. Furthermore, a summary of the overall strength of evidence was presented using Grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE). 3395 studies were identified, 11 were included on this systematic review to qualitative analysis and 6 of them to quantitative synthesis. Six meta-analyses were performed to the following clinical parameters: plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), papillary bleeding index (PBI), calculus index (CI), clinical attachment loss (CAL). The meta-analysis results for CI was (p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%) PBI (p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%), CAL (p = 0,03, I² = 98%) showed higher means for the asthmatic group. For BOP (p = 0.20 I2 = 83%), GI (p = 0.14 I2 = 97%) and PI (p = 0.53 I2 = 95%) non-statistical difference was found. The level of evidence analysis (GRADE) presented a low level of evidence among the clinical parameters. This systematic review and meta-analysis observed that asthmatic individuals present more periodontal disease, especially gingivitis, when compared to healthy individuals, but further studies with similar methods are necessary to evaluate interactions between both diseases.

Immediate bronchodilator response in FEV1 as a diagnostic criterion for adult asthma

Asthma is characterised by variable and reversible expiratory airflow limitations. Thus, it is logical to use the change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) in response to a bronchodilator (ΔFEV₁BDR) as a diagnostic tool; increases of ≥12% and ≥200 mL from the baseline FEV₁ are commonly used values. We aimed to evaluate the historical development of diagnostic cut-off levels for the ΔFEV₁BDR for adults and the evidence behind these recommendations.We searched for studies from the reference lists of all the main statements, reports and guidelines concerning the interpretation of spirometry and diagnostics for asthma and conducted a literature search.A limited amount of evidence regarding the ΔFEV₁BDR in healthy populations was found, and even fewer patient studies were found. In healthy persons, the upper 95th percentile for the absolute ΔFEV₁BDR ranges between 240 mL and 320 mL, the relative ΔFEV₁BDR calculated from the initial FEV₁ ranges from 5.9% to 13.3% and the ΔFEV₁BDR calculated from the predicted FEV₁ ranges from 8.7% to 11.6%. However, the absolute and percentage ΔFEV₁BDR values calculated from the initial FEV₁ are dependent on age, sex, height and the degree of airway obstruction. Thus, the use of the ΔFEV₁BDR calculated from the predicted FEV₁ might be more appropriate.Not enough data exist to assess the sensitivity of any of the cut-off levels for the ΔFEV₁BDR to differentiate asthma patients from healthy subjects. Further studies in newly diagnosed asthma patients are needed.

Obesity Trends among Asthma Patients in the United States: A Population-based Study

Background:

Obesity is strongly associated with worse asthma control and poorer quality of life. The current obesity epidemic has reached historically high levels, with an estimated prevalence rate of 37% in the general United States (US) population. However, less is known about trends in the prevalence of obesity among individuals with asthma or which sociodemographic groups are at higher risk for increased weight.

Methods:

The study was conducted with data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) study, a nationally representative probability-based sample of the US population. We included participants ≥18 years of age who were interviewed between 1999 and 2016. Using stratified weighting, we estimated the annual prevalence of participants with, and without a diagnosis of asthma, classified according to their body mass index (BMI), into: normal weight (18.5–25 kg/m²), overweight (25–30 kg/m²), or obese (>30 kg/m²). We calculated the annual odds of obesity among participants with vs. without asthma to assess if trends among individuals with asthma followed those of the general US population. Nominal regression analysis assessed the association between age, sex, race/ethnicity, and income with prevalence of obesity among participants with asthma.

Results:

Among the 543,574 BRSFF participants with asthma, the prevalence of overweight and obesity changed from 34.3% and 24.7% in 1999 to 28.8% and 41.1% in 2016, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) of obesity in patients with asthma compared to the general population without asthma, increased during the same period from 1.39 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36–1.36) in 1999 to 1.75 (95% CI: 1.75–1.76) in 2016. Adjusted analysis showed that older (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 2.32–2.33), Black (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.61–1.61) and Hispanic (OR: 1.29, 95%. CI: 1.28–1.29) participants with asthma had higher rates of obesity.

Conclusions:

There has been a substantial increase in the prevalence of obesity among individuals with asthma in the last two decades, beyond what could be explained by general population trends. These results suggest that obesity is an increasing determinant of asthma morbidity and should be particularly targeted in minorities with asthma.

Epidemiology of Asthma in Children and Adults

Asthma is a globally significant non-communicable disease with major public health consequences for both children and adults, including high morbidity, and mortality in severe cases. We have summarized the evidence on asthma trends, environmental determinants, and long-term impacts while comparing these epidemiological features across childhood asthma and adult asthma. While asthma incidence and prevalence are higher in children, morbidity, and mortality are higher in adults. Childhood asthma is more common in boys while adult asthma is more common in women, and the reversal of this sex difference in prevalence occurs around puberty suggesting sex hormones may play a role in the etiology of asthma. The global epidemic of asthma that has been observed in both children and adults is still continuing, especially in low to middle income countries, although it has subsided in some developed countries. As a heterogeneous disease, distinct asthma phenotypes, and endotypes need to be adequately characterized to develop more accurate and meaningful definitions for use in research and clinical settings. This may be facilitated by new clustering techniques such as latent class analysis, and computational phenotyping methods are being developed to retrieve information from electronic health records using natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to assist in the early diagnosis of asthma. While some important environmental determinants that trigger asthma are well-established, more work is needed to define the role of environmental exposures in the development of asthma in both children and adults. There is increasing evidence that investigation into possible gene-by-environment and environment-by-environment interactions may help to better uncover the determinants of asthma. Therefore, there is an urgent need to further investigate the interrelationship between environmental and genetic determinants to identify high risk groups and key modifiable exposures. For children, asthma may impair airway development and reduce maximally attained lung function, and these lung function deficits may persist into adulthood without additional progressive loss. Adult asthma may accelerate lung function decline and increase the risk of fixed airflow obstruction, with the effect of early onset asthma being greater than late onset asthma. Therefore, in managing asthma, our focus going forward should be firmly on improving not only short-term symptoms, but also the long-term respiratory and other health outcomes.

Type 2 Diabetes and Asthma: Systematic Review of the Bidirectional Relationship

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Obesity is an important contributor to the risk of both asthma and Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). However, it has been suggested that T2DM and asthma are also independently associated. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence for an independent relationship between T2DM and asthma.

METHODS

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies reporting the relationship between asthma and T2DM in adults. Given a potential bidirectional relationship, articles relating to T2DM as a risk factor for asthma, and asthma as a risk factor for T2DM were examined separately.

RESULTS

Eight studies were identified for inclusion in the review (n=2,934,399 participants). Four studies examined incident diabetes in those with asthma. The pooled (random effects model) adjusted hazard ratio for incident T2DM in asthma was 1.37 (95%CI 1.12-1.69; p <0.001) after controlling for BMI. Four studies reported prevalence or incidence rates of asthma in people with T2DM; higher rates of asthma in those with T2DM were reported in all four studies. Meta-analysis of results was not possible due to methodological heterogeneity. The quality of included studies was good, but due to small numbers, publication bias cannot be excluded.

CONCLUSION

The published literature suggests a bidirectional independent relationship between T2DM and asthma, although we cannot exclude publication bias.

Prevalence of asthma in multiple sclerosis: A United States population-based study

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and asthma are complex multifactorial diseases which adversely impact daily functioning. However, the prevalence of asthma in those with MS is not clear. The objective of this study is to characterize the prevalence of asthma in those with MS, with considerations for age, gender, and race.

METHODS

We conducted a U.S. population-based, cross-sectional study of electronic health record information for 56.6 million Americans available in the IBM® Explorys EPM: Explore database. We evaluated the prevalence of asthma in MS (N = 141,880) and non-MS (N = 56,416,790) cohorts, stratifying by age, gender, and race (All, White Americans, and African Americans).

RESULTS

The prevalence of asthma was significantly greater among those with MS than the general population across age, gender, and racial subpopulations. Adjusting for age and gender, asthma was three times more common in MS. In the MS cohort, the prevalence of asthma had a U-shaped distribution with respect to age, with the greatest asthma prevalence among the young and the elderly (> 20% prevalence among those <30 or ≥80 years; prevalence range: 15 to 30%); this significantly differed from the fairly uniform distribution observed in the non-MS cohort (prevalence range: 4 to 9%). These patterns were relatively consistent when stratifying by gender and race.

CONCLUSION

Asthma is significantly more common in those with MS than in the general population - particularly in the young and elderly - irrespective of gender and race. The results add to the growing MS comorbidity literature, and emphasizes the need for comorbidity management as a part of comprehensive MS patient care.

Prevalence of Patients Eligible for Anti-IL-5 Treatment in a Cohort of Adult-Onset Asthma

BACKGROUND

Antibodies against the IL-5 pathway have been developed for the treatment of late-onset eosinophilic corticosteroid-resistant asthma. However, the prevalence of severe asthma and the proportion of patients who could benefit from such treatment among the general population of asthmatics remain unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of patients eligible to anti-IL-5 treatment and severe asthma in an unselected cohort of adult-onset asthma.

METHODS

Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study is a 12-year follow-up study of patients with new-onset adult asthma (n = 203). Prevalence was estimated based on information collected at 12-year follow-up visit. Health care use was collected from the whole 12-year follow-up period.

RESULTS

The prevalence of anti-IL-5-treatable patients was 2%, when the following criteria were used: daily use of medium-to-high inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose and long-acting β₂-agonist, ≥2 exacerbations/previous year and blood eosinophil count ≥300 cells/μL or fraction of exhaled nitric oxide ≥ 50 ppb. The prevalence of severe asthma, as defined according to European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society, was 5.9%, and only 1 patient met criteria for both groups. When compared with anti-IL-5 eligible patients, severe asthmatics were more often current smokers at diagnosis, obese, used higher ICS dose, and had higher blood neutrophils 12 years after diagnosis. Both groups differed from nonsevere asthma by a higher number of all and unplanned respiratory-related visits to health care. Severe asthmatics showed the highest number of hospitalizations.

CONCLUSIONS

In a cohort of unselected consecutive patients with adult-onset asthma, 5.9% fulfilled criteria for severe asthma and 2% qualified for anti-IL-5 treatment. Both groups represent a high burden to health care and specifically targeted treatment could lead to lower use of health care at long term.

Adverse events profile of oral corticosteroids among asthma patients in the UK: cohort study with a nested case-control analysis

Background

To evaluate the adverse events profile of oral prednisolone among adult asthma patients in the UK.

Methods

Using data from the UK-based Clinical Practice Research Datalink, we conducted a series of cohort studies to quantify incidence rates and incidence rate ratios, and a series of nested case-control analyses to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios, of 11 different potential corticosteroid-related adverse events (bone-related conditions, hypertension, peptic ulcer, severe infections, herpes zoster, diabetes mellitus type 2, cataract, glaucoma, chronic kidney disease, affective disorders, and cardiovascular events).

Results

Between 165,900 and 269,368 asthma patients were included in each of the 11 cohorts, of whom between 836 and 16,192 developed an outcome of interest. Incidence rates per 1000 person-years of potential corticosteroid-related adverse events in patients with new current use of oral prednisolone ranged from 1.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–1.8) for peptic ulcer to 78.0 (95% CI, 74.8–81.2) for severe infections. After adjusting for confounding, current oral prednisolone use was most strongly associated with an increased risk of severe infection, compared with non-use of prednisolone; OR 2.16 (95% CI, 2.05–2.27). There were smaller elevated risks of peptic ulcer, affective disorders, and cataract at higher doses, and marginally increased risks of herpes zoster, cardiovascular events, diabetes mellitus type 2, and bone related conditions, compared with non-use of prednisolone. We did not observe an association between oral prednisolone use and glaucoma, chronic kidney disease, or hypertension.

Conclusion

Oral prednisolone use is associated with infections, gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric, ocular, cardiovascular, metabolic, and bone-related complications among adult asthma patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12931-018-0742-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Multimorbidity medications and poor asthma prognosis

Multimedication related to multimorbidity is common in the elderly with asthma. We aimed at comprehensively characterising medications used by elderly women and assessing how multimedication impacts on asthma prognosis.We performed network-based analyses on drug administrative databases to visualise the prevalence of drug classes and their interconnections among 17 458 elderly women from the Asthma-E3N study, including 4328 women with asthma. Asthma groups sharing similar medication profiles were identified by a clustering method relying on all medications and were studied in association with adverse asthma events (uncontrolled asthma, attacks/exacerbations and poor asthma-related quality of life).The network-based analysis showed more multimedication in women with asthma than in those without asthma. The clustering method identified three multimedication profiles in asthma: "Few multimorbidity-related medications" (43.5%), "Predominantly allergic multimorbidity-related medications" (32.8%) and "Predominantly metabolic multimorbidity-related medications" (23.7%). Compared with women belonging to the "Few multimorbidity-related medications" profile, women belonging to the two other profiles had an increased risk of uncontrolled asthma and asthma attacks/exacerbations, and had lower asthma-related quality of life.The integrative data-driven approach on drug administrative databases identified specific multimorbidity-related medication profiles that were associated with poor asthma prognosis. These findings support the importance of multimorbidity in the unmet needs in asthma management.

Asthma and its comorbidities in middle-aged and older adults; the Rotterdam Study

BACKGROUND

Little is known on the prevalence and characteristics of asthma in middle-aged and older adults, since previous studies mainly focused on children and young adults. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma and its comorbidities, in a population-based cohort of adults 45 years of age and over.

METHODS

We identified participants with physician-diagnosed asthma in the Rotterdam Study; a prospective population-based cohort in the Netherlands. Pulmonary function measurements and comorbidities of the asthma cases were assessed at baseline and compared to those of the general population.

RESULTS

Out of 14,621 participants (mean age 65.5 years; 59% women), 524 subjects (31.5%males) had physician-diagnosed asthma at study entry, implicating an asthma prevalence of 3.6% [95% Confidence Interval (CI) 3.3%-3.9%] (2.8% in males and 4.2% in females). Asthmatic subjects had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity and depressive symptoms (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2,02 [95% CI 1,66-2,47] and [OR]: 2,01 [95% CI 1,52-2,66] respectively). Longer duration of asthma and current smoking were associated with lower lung function in asthmatic subjects.

CONCLUSION

Four percent of middle-aged and older adults have physician-diagnosed asthma. These adult asthmatics suffer more frequently from obesity and depression than subjects without obstructive lung disease.

Inhaled corticosteroids and asthma control in adult-onset asthma: 12-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Prescribed inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) doses in asthma have been studied in cross-sectional settings whereas long-term follow-up studies have not been carried out.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate prescribed medication longitudinally by calculating cumulative ICS doses and dose changes in a cohort of new-onset adult asthma during 12 years and in different groups of asthma control.

METHODS

A total of 203 patients were followed for 12 years as part of Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study (SAAS). All asthma-related visits and prescribed medication over the study period were collected from medical records.

RESULTS

Total cumulative ICS dose for the 12-year follow-up period was 3.4g (±SEM 0.1) per patient. Both respiratory specialists and GPs prescribed step-ups and step-downs in ICS treatment and in total 649 dose changes were noted during the follow-up (median 3(1-5) per patient). Patients with uncontrolled asthma received higher ICS doses throughout the follow-up period, and therefore, cumulative 12-year ICS dose (3.8g ± SEM 0.2) in this group was higher than that in those with partially controlled (3.4g ± SEM 0.2) or controlled disease (2.9g ± SEM 0.2) (p = 0.0001). Patients with uncontrolled asthma were also prescribed a higher number of ICS dose changes than patients with controlled disease.

CONCLUSION

Despite frequent dose changes and high ICS doses during the 12-year follow-up, the level of asthma control remained poor in patients with uncontrolled asthma. This suggests that high ICS doses may not be effective enough for management of disease in patients with uncontrolled adult-onset asthma and novel targeted treatments are required.

Association between lipid profile and the prevalence of asthma: a meta-analysis and systemic review

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association of asthma with serum levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, and triglyceride.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were systematically searched through November 2015 using the following search terms: dyslipidemia, HDL, LDL, triglyceride, cholesterol, and asthma. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), retrospective, cohort, and cross-sectional studies. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias were performed.

RESULTS

Twenty studies were included in the analysis, with a total 32,604 patients (3,458 in the asthma group and 29,146 in the control group). The pooled analysis found that the mean difference between groups was significantly higher in the asthma group for levels of LDL (6.026 mg/dL, 95% CI = 2.696-9.356, p < .001) and total cholesterol (8.161 mg/dL, 95% CI = 3.006-13.316, p = .002) compared with the control group. No association was observed between asthma and control groups for levels of HDL (mean difference = -0.728, 95% CI = -3.146-1.691, p = .555) or triglycerides (mean difference = 1.436, 95% CI = -2.768-5.640, p = .503).

CONCLUSIONS

Levels of LDL and total cholesterol were higher in patients with asthma than non-asthmatic patients.

Moving toward consensus on diagnosis and management of severe asthma in adults

Asthma is a considerable health problem with an increasing global prevalence. The burden of severe asthma is expected to notably increase in the following years. Some misleading concepts that sometimes appear in the literature can drive the physician responsible for a patient's management to make incorrect decisions. Furthermore, some of the concepts that appear in the literature and in the guidelines may not be clear to understand, follow or adapt to regional and local realities. This could again drive the physicians responsible for a patient's management to make incorrect clinical judgments. In this article, we review the definition, prevalence and immunopathology of severe asthma, describe the asthma phenotypes, clinical features and comorbidities, the diagnosis of severe asthma and personalized asthma treatment. At the end, we offer a treatment approach based on literature publications, personalized medicine and marketed biologic treatment options.

Aerobic exercise inhibits obesity-induced respiratory phenotype

PURPOSE

Obesity results in decreased lung function and increased inflammation. Moderate aerobic exercise (AE) reduced lung inflammation and remodeling in a variety of respiratory disease models. Therefore, this study investigated whether AE can attenuate a diet-induced obesity respiratory phenotype; including airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), remodeling and inflammation.

METHODS

Sixty C57Bl/6 male mice were distributed into four groups: control lean (CL), exercise lean (EL), obese (O) and obese exercise (OE) groups (2 sets of 7 and 8 mice per group; n = 15). A classical model of diet-induced obesity (DIO) over 12 weeks was used. AE was performed 60 min/day, 5 days/week for 5 weeks. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), lung inflammation and remodeling, adipokines and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was determined.

RESULTS

A high fat diet over 18 weeks significantly increased body weight (p < .0001). Five weeks of AE significantly reduced both AHR and pulmonary inflammation. AHR in obese mice that exercised was reduced at the basal level (p < .05), vehicle (PBS) (p < .05), 6.25 MCh mg/mL (p < .05), 12.5 MCh mg/mL (p < .01), 25 MCh mg/mL (p < .01) and 50 MCh mg/mL (p < .05). Collagen (p < .001) and elastic (p < .001) fiber deposition in airway wall and also smooth muscle thickness (p < .001) were reduced. The number of neutrophils (p < .001), macrophages (p < .001) and lymphocytes (p < .01) were reduced in the peribronchial space as well as in the BAL: lymphocytes (p < .01), macrophages (p < .01), neutrophils (p < .001). AE reduced obesity markers leptin (p < .001), IGF-1 (p < .01) and VEGF (p < .001), while increased adiponectin (p < .01) in BAL. AE also reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines in the BAL: IL-1β (p < .001), IL-12p40 (p < .001), IL-13 (p < .01), IL-17 (p < .001, IL-23 (p < .05) and TNF-alpha (p < .05), and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Aerobic exercise reduces high fat diet-induced obese lung phenotype (AHR, pulmonary remodeling and inflammation), involving anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and adiponectin.

Atopy Is Associated with Age at Asthma Onset in Elderly Patients

BACKGROUND

Asthma in the elderly population (60 years of age and older) is frequently underdiagnosed, as well as atopy. Atopy, although more prevalent in younger patients, can be a major cause of asthma in the elderly. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease are common differential diagnoses, especially in elderly smokers.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess atopy and comorbidities in elderly patients with asthma.

METHODS

This was an observational and retrospective study involving elderly asthmatic patients followed up at a tertiary center. Patients were assessed for severity of asthma, frequency of atopy, and frequency of comorbidities concomitant with asthma. Then, they were classified according to their age at asthma onset and the groups compared with each other for atopy, spirometric parameters, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

This study included 243 elderly asthmatic patients, 71.8% of them presenting severe disease and 82.3% forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) < 80%. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, obesity, and asthma-COPD overlap syndrome were observed, respectively, in 64%, 37%, and 13% of these patients. Atopy was observed in 63%, mainly in those with early onset disease, and its frequency decreased as the age of asthma onset increased (P < .05). Total serum IgE was higher for allergic patients and FEV₁ values were lower for patients with long-term asthma. Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease was more frequent in patients with nonallergic asthma.

CONCLUSIONS

Most elderly asthmatic patients followed up in our tertiary center were atopic and higher values of total serum IgE suggest atopy. Atopy was inversely correlated with age of asthma onset. The diagnosis of allergic asthma in the elderly population is essential to treat patients more properly, improving their quality of life and decreasing asthma morbidity and mortality.

Atopic dermatitis and the metabolic syndrome

Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting about 10% to 20% of the general population. Disturbances in lipid metabolism contribute to defective lipid lamellae of the stratum corneum. The relationship of the metabolic syndrome and atopic dermatitis, on the contrary, remains unclear, because there are contradictory results from various trials.

Association of asthma with coronary heart disease: A meta analysis of 11 trials

PURPOSE

While the relationship of asthma and coronary heart disease (CHD) (a specific manifestation of cardiovascular disease) has not been described consistently, we tried to defined this relation and explore the influence of gender and asthma status (child- and adult-onset asthma) on this issue.

METHODS

We searched published reports that described the relationship of asthma and CHD.

RESULTS

Eleven trials were identified, covering 666,355 subjects. Asthma overall was significantly associated with CHD both for prospective trials (HR 1.34 [1.09,1.64], P = 0.005) and for retrospective trials(OR 1.29 [1.13,1.46], P = 0.001), when compared to individuals without asthma. Subgroup analysis split by gender indicated that females with asthma were significantly associated with CHD (HR 1.40 [1.20,1.62], P<0.001), but males with asthma were not significantly related with CHD (HR 1.19 [0.98,1.44], P = 0.07). For the four subgroups (Females with adult-onset asthma,males with adult-onset asthma,females with child-onset asthma,and males with child-onset asthma), pooled analysis of two trials indicated that only females with adult-onset asthma were significantly associated with CHD (HR 2.06 [1.32,3.19], P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicated that asthma was associated with CHD, and the relationship between them seemed to derived mostly from females with adult-onset asthma. Considering the limits of our study, these findings should be taken with caution.

Cluster Analysis on Longitudinal Data of Patients with Adult-Onset Asthma

BACKGROUND

Previous cluster analyses on asthma are based on cross-sectional data.

OBJECTIVE

To identify phenotypes of adult-onset asthma by using data from baseline (diagnostic) and 12-year follow-up visits.

METHODS

The Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study is a 12-year follow-up study of patients with new-onset adult asthma. K-means cluster analysis was performed by using variables from baseline and follow-up visits on 171 patients to identify phenotypes.

RESULTS

Five clusters were identified. Patients in cluster 1 (n = 38) were predominantly nonatopic males with moderate smoking history at baseline. At follow-up, 40% of these patients had developed persistent obstruction but the number of patients with uncontrolled asthma (5%) and rhinitis (10%) was the lowest. Cluster 2 (n = 19) was characterized by older men with heavy smoking history, poor lung function, and persistent obstruction at baseline. At follow-up, these patients were mostly uncontrolled (84%) despite daily use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) with add-on therapy. Cluster 3 (n = 50) consisted mostly of nonsmoking females with good lung function at diagnosis/follow-up and well-controlled/partially controlled asthma at follow-up. Cluster 4 (n = 25) had obese and symptomatic patients at baseline/follow-up. At follow-up, these patients had several comorbidities (40% psychiatric disease) and were treated daily with ICS and add-on therapy. Patients in cluster 5 (n = 39) were mostly atopic and had the earliest onset of asthma, the highest blood eosinophils, and FEV₁ reversibility at diagnosis. At follow-up, these patients used the lowest ICS dose but 56% were well controlled.

CONCLUSIONS

Results can be used to predict outcomes of patients with adult-onset asthma and to aid in development of personalized therapy (NCT02733016 at ClinicalTrials.gov).

Severe and non-severe asthma in the community: A large electronic database analysis

BACKGROUND

A large electronic database analysis was conducted in a community of 351,799 people, ages 20-70 years to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of severe asthma, according to 2014 international guidelines and healthcare utilization.

METHODS

Severe asthmatics were grouped into controlled severe-asthma and uncontrolled severe-asthma and additional subgroups of uncontrolled severe asthma on the basis of medications dispensed. Non-asthmatic population at the same ages served as controls.

RESULTS

A total of 19,991 (5.68%) were diagnosed as asthmatic, of which 4.65% had severe asthma. Of these, one-third was uncontrolled severe-asthma. Controlled severe-asthma group was similar to non-severe asthma and non-asthmatics in the rate of emergency room visits (21.5%, 22%, and 20%, respectively) and to all cause hospitalizations (7.4%, 7.4%, and 6.4%, respectively). Uncontrolled severe-asthmatics had significantly more hospitalizations (RR = 2.9) than controlled severe-asthmatics. Only 19.2% of uncontrolled-severe asthmatics had IgE testing and 3.6% were dispensed omalizumab.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of severe asthma is slightly less than 5% of all asthmatics. Controlling severe asthma is crucial to reducing healthcare utilization. A simple electronic database analysis, based on dispensed medications, can help healthcare providers identify subgroups of uncontrolled severe asthmatics that require focused efforts.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01961258. Ethics Committee approval: 032/2013C.

The effect of smoking on lung function: a clinical study of adult-onset asthma

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking on lung function decline in adult-onset asthma in a clinical, 12-year follow-up study.In the Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study, 203 patients were followed for 12 years (1999-2013) after diagnosis of new-onset adult asthma. Patients were divided into two groups based on smoking history: <10 or ≥10 pack-years. Spirometry evaluation points were: 1) baseline, 2) the maximum lung function during the first 2.5 years after diagnosis (Max_0-2.5) and 3) after 12 years of follow-up.Between Max_0-2.5 and follow-up, the median annual decline in absolute forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) was 36 mL in the group of patients with <10 pack-years of smoking and 54 mL in those with smoking history ≥10 pack-years (p=0.003). The annual declines in FEV₁ % pred (p=0.006), forced vital capacity (FVC) (p=0.035) and FEV₁/FVC (p=0.045) were also accelerated in the group of patients with ≥10 pack-years smoked. In multivariate regression analysis, smoking history ≥10 pack-years became a significant predictor of accelerated decline in FEV₁Among patients with clinically defined adult-onset asthma, smoking history ≥10 pack-years is associated with accelerated loss of lung function.

Comorbidities and elevated IL-6 associate with negative outcome in adult-onset asthma

The effect of systemic inflammation and comorbidities on treatment and outcome of adult-onset asthma remains unknown and is the objective of this study.As part of the Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study (SAAS) with a 12-year follow-up, serum interleukin (IL)-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and lung function were measured and clinical information on comorbidities and medication collected from 170 patients with adult-onset asthma without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.At follow-up visit, 54% of the patients had systemic inflammation as indicated by elevated IL-6 or hsCRP, 58% had at least one comorbidity and 30% at least two comorbidities (other than asthma related). Patients with systemic inflammation were treated with higher dose of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and they had lower lung function and higher blood neutrophils compared with patients without. Patients having ≥2 comorbidities had lower Asthma Control Test score and this association remained significant in adjusted analysis. Patients with both systemic inflammation and comorbidities showed poorest outcome of asthma. In multivariate regression analysis, high ICS dose was predicted by elevated IL-6, elevated blood neutrophils and eosinophils and poorer lung function at baseline and follow-up.Altogether, in patients with adult-onset asthma, elevated IL-6 was associated with use of high-dose ICS while multi-morbidity was linked to worse symptoms of asthma.

A 12-year prognosis of adult-onset asthma: Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study

RATIONALE

Long-term prognosis of adult-onset asthma is poorly known.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate 12-year prognosis of adult-onset asthma and the factors associated with disease prognosis.

METHODS

Seinäjoki Adult-onset Asthma Study (SAAS) is a 12-year real-life single-center follow-up study of new-onset asthma diagnosed at adult age and treated in primary and specialized care. Remission was defined by no symptoms and no asthma medication use for 6 months. Asthma control was evaluated according to Global Initiative for Asthma 2010. Factors associated with current asthma control were analyzed by multinomial multivariate logistic regression.

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 203 patients (79% of the baseline population) were followed for 12 years. Remission occurred in 6 (3%) patients. In 34% asthma was controlled, in 36% it was partially controlled and in 30% uncontrolled. Uncontrolled asthma was predicted by elevated body-mass index at baseline, smoking (pack-years) and current allergic or persistent rhinitis. Elevated blood eosinophils and good lung function (FEV1) at baseline protected from uncontrolled asthma. In contrast, gender, age at the onset or baseline symptoms (Airways Questionnaire 20) were not significant predictors of uncontrolled disease.

CONCLUSIONS

During a 12-year follow-up, remission of adult-onset asthma was rare occurring in only 3% of patients. The majority of patients (66%) presented either with uncontrolled or partially controlled asthma. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier number NCT02733016.