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Nurmi E, Vähätalo I, Ilmarinen P, Andersén H, Tuomisto LE, Sovijärvi A, Backman H, Lehtimäki L, Hedman L, Langhammer A, Nwaru BI, Piirilä P, Kankaanranta H. Agreement between self-reported and registered age at asthma diagnosis in Finland. BMC Pulm Med 2024; 24:133. [PMID: 38491499 PMCID: PMC10943976 DOI: 10.1186/s12890-024-02949-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In epidemiological studies, the age at asthma onset is often defined by patients' self-reported age at diagnosis. The reliability of this report might be questioned. Our objective was to evaluate the agreement between self-reported and registered age at asthma diagnosis and assess features contributing to the agreement. METHODS As part of the FinEsS respiratory survey in 2016, randomly selected population samples of 13,435 from Helsinki and 8000 from Western Finland were studied. Self-reported age at asthma diagnosis was compared to age at asthma diagnosis registered in the Finnish register on special reimbursement for asthma medication. The reimbursement right is based on lung function criteria according to GINA and Finnish guidelines. If the difference was less than 5 years, self-reported diagnosis was considered reliable. Features associated with the difference between self-reported and registered age at asthma diagnosis were evaluated. RESULTS Altogether 197 subjects from Helsinki and 144 from Western Finland were included. Of these, 61.9% and 77.8%, respectively, reported age at diagnosis reliably. Median difference between self-reported and registered age at diagnoses was - 2.0 years (IQR - 9.0 to 0) in Helsinki and - 1.0 (IQR - 4.3 to 0) in Western Finland indicating earlier self-reported age at diagnosis. More reliable self-report was associated with non-allergic subjects and subjects who reported having asthma diagnosis more recently. CONCLUSIONS Agreement between self-reported and registered age at asthma diagnosis was good especially with adult-onset asthma patients. Poor agreement in early-onset asthma could be related to delay in registration due to reimbursement criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Nurmi
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland.
| | - Iida Vähätalo
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
| | - Pinja Ilmarinen
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
| | - Heidi Andersén
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Oncology Unit, Vaasa Keskussairaala, Vaasa, Finland
| | - Leena E Tuomisto
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
| | - Anssi Sovijärvi
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Unit of Clinical Physiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Helena Backman
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section of Sustainable Health, The OLIN Unit, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Lauri Lehtimäki
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Allergy Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Linnea Hedman
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section of Sustainable Health, The OLIN Unit, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Arnulf Langhammer
- Department of Public Health and Nursing, HUNT Research Centre Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Levanger, Norway
- Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust, Levanger, Norway
| | - Bright I Nwaru
- Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Dept of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Päivi Piirilä
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Unit of Clinical Physiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hannu Kankaanranta
- Tampere University Respiratory Research group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland.
- Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Dept of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Pakkasela J, Salmela P, Juntunen P, Karjalainen J, Lehtimäki L. Age at asthma diagnosis and onset of symptoms among adults with allergic and non-allergic asthma. Eur Clin Respir J 2023; 10:2269653. [PMID: 37869726 PMCID: PMC10586087 DOI: 10.1080/20018525.2023.2269653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Childhood-onset allergic asthma is the best-known phenotype of asthma. Adult-onset asthma, also an important entity, is instead often shown to be more non-allergic. There is still a lack of studies concerning the association of allergies and age at asthma onset from childhood to late adulthood. The aim of the study was to assess the age at onset of asthma symptoms and age at asthma diagnosis among adults with allergic and non-allergic asthma. Methods Questionnaires were sent to 2000 randomly selected Finnish adults aged 18-80 years who were dispensed medication for obstructive airway diseases during the previous year. The corrected sample size was 1978 subjects after exclusion of non-analysable data. The response rate was 40.6%. Self-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma was considered allergic if a concomitant self-reported doctor-diagnosed pollen and/or animal allergy was reported with asthma symptoms upon allergen exposure. Results Of the 496 participants with asthma, 42.7% were considered to have allergic asthma. The median ages at asthma diagnosis and onset of asthma symptoms were 31 (IQR 17-46) and 20 (9.25-40) years in participants with allergic asthma and 49 (37.75-58) and 40.5 (30-50) years in participants with non-allergic asthma (p < 0.001), respectively. Of the participants with asthma diagnosed at ≥30 years of age, 18% of allergic and 7% of non-allergic participants reported having had asthma symptoms under 20 years of age. Conclusions Both the onset of symptoms and diagnosis occurred at a younger age among adults with allergic asthma than among those with non-allergic asthma. Only a minority of adults with non-allergic asthma had already had symptoms in younghood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Pakkasela
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Petri Salmela
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Pekka Juntunen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jussi Karjalainen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Allergy Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Lauri Lehtimäki
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Allergy Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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Islam MS, Huq S, Ahmed S, Roy S, Schwarze J, Sheikh A, Saha SK, Cunningham S, Nair H. Operational definitions of paediatric asthma used in epidemiological studies: A systematic review. J Glob Health 2021; 11:04032. [PMID: 34326990 PMCID: PMC8285759 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.11.04032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Researchers use different definitions to identify children with asthma in epidemiological surveys. We conducted a systematic review to describe the definitions used in epidemiologic studies for wheeze and asthma in the paediatric population, aimed to inform the development of a uniform definition of paediatric asthma for future epidemiological research. Methods We systematically searched terms to identify asthma and/or wheeze among children aged <13 years and published between 1995-2020 across seven databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Global Health, AMED, LILACS and CINAHL). PRISMA guidelines were followed for this review. Results We extracted a total of 11 886 records, where 190 met our eligibility criteria and included in the analysis. Among the included studies, 62.1% (n = 118/190) used the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires, predominantly in developing countries (80%, n = 64/80). ‘Wheeze’ was reported in five categories, subdivided by 14 different definitions. “Current wheeze”, defined as caregivers report of wheezing sounds from the chest of the child in the past 12 months and “Wheeze ever”, defined as caregivers’ report of wheezing or whistling in the chest of the child at any previous time, were the most common wheeze category reported in 129 and 95 studies, respectively. Asthma was reported in nine categories using 53 definitions. The most common asthma category was “Asthma ever”, which was reported in 89 studies, based on caregiver statement that the child had asthma in the past. Conclusion Definitions of wheeze and asthma for children used in surveys are primarily based on parent-reported clinical features. Studies from developing countries more frequently used the ISAAC definitions to report childhood asthma and wheeze compared to the studies from developed counties. The use of a uniform asthma definition will aid the interpretation of research findings globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Shahidul Islam
- Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK.,Child Health Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Samin Huq
- Child Health Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Salahuddin Ahmed
- Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK.,Projahnmo Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sudipto Roy
- Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK.,KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune, India
| | - Jürgen Schwarze
- Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, UK.,Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Aziz Sheikh
- Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Samir K Saha
- Child Health Research Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Steve Cunningham
- Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, UK.,Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Harish Nair
- Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK
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Baseline Features of the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP III) Cohort: Differences with Age. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY-IN PRACTICE 2017; 6:545-554.e4. [PMID: 28866107 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2017.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effect of age on asthma severity is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to compare the baseline features of severe and nonsevere asthma in the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) III cohort, and examine in cross section the effects of age on those features. METHODS SARP III is a National Institutes of Health/National Heart Lung Blood Institute multisite 3-year cohort study conducted to investigate mechanisms of severe asthma. The sample included 188 children (111 severe, 77 nonsevere) and 526 adults (313 severe, 213 nonsevere) characterized for demographic features, symptoms, health care utilization, lung function, and inflammatory markers compared by age and severity. RESULTS Compared with children with nonsevere asthma, children with severe asthma had more symptoms and more historical exacerbations, but no difference in body weight, post-bronchodilator lung function, or inflammatory markers. After childhood, and increasing with age, the cohort had a higher proportion of women, less allergen sensitization, and overall fewer blood eosinophils. Enrollment of participants with severe asthma was highest in middle-aged adults, who were older, more obese, with greater airflow limitation and higher blood eosinophils, but less allergen sensitization than adults with nonsevere asthma. CONCLUSIONS The phenotypic features of asthma differ by severity and with advancing age. With advancing age, patients with severe asthma are more obese, have greater airflow limitation, less allergen sensitization, and variable type 2 inflammation. Novel mechanisms besides type 2 inflammatory pathways may inform the severe asthma phenotype with advancing age.
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Lynch BA, Van Norman CA, Jacobson RM, Weaver AL, Juhn YJ. Impact of delay in asthma diagnosis on health care service use. Allergy Asthma Proc 2010; 31:e48-e52. [PMID: 20819315 DOI: 10.2500/aap.2010.31.3358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Delays in diagnosing asthma in children are common and are known to delay asthma-specific treatment. Few studies have investigated whether a delay in asthma diagnosis impacts the use of health care services. This study was designed to assess whether a delay in diagnosis of asthma influences the use of health care services. This was a retrospective cohort study with subjects elicited from a convenience sample of 839 healthy children. The criteria for asthma was met in 276 (33%) subjects; of these subjects 179 (65%) had a delay in the diagnosis of asthma and 97 (35%) had a timely diagnosis. Data on health care services (e.g., flu shot, availability of a peak flow meter, hospitalizations, and urgent care or emergency department visits) and the frequency of systemic steroid treatments were collected from medical records during the first 18 years of life. The frequencies of health service and use of systemic steroids were compared using Poisson and logistic regression models in asthmatic children with and without a delay in asthma diagnosis. Children with a delay in asthma diagnosis were more likely to visit urgent care centers at least once (40.8% versus 21.6%; p < 0.001), compared with those with a timely diagnosis. There were no significant differences in other health care service or systemic steroid use. A delay in the diagnosis of asthma was associated with an increase in urgent care visits suggesting suboptimal care. Clinicians should be aware that a delay in the diagnosis of asthma in children may result in the use of suboptimal health care services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Lynch
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
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Martyn MB, Molis W, Jacobson RM, Poland GA, Weaver AL, Juhn YJ. Human leukocyte antigen type and progression from onset of symptoms to development of asthma. Allergy Asthma Proc 2010; 31:120-5. [PMID: 20214848 PMCID: PMC7368177 DOI: 10.2500/aap.2010.31.3321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes on the progression of asthma, from the initial onset of symptoms to when criteria for asthma are met. Study subjects were a subsample (n = 340) of 838 healthy children, aged 5-12 years, who participated in a previous study, and who had HLA data and asthma status. The duration in time from the initial onset of asthma symptoms documented in each subject's medical records to the index date when the subject first met criteria for asthma was determined. The time duration was compared between carriers and noncarriers of HLA genes of interest of the 340 original subjects with HLA data available, 114 children (33.5%) met criteria for asthma before 18 years of age. The median ages at onset of asthma symptoms and at the index date of asthma were 4.4 years and 7.2 years, respectively. The median time intervals between onset of symptoms and index date for HLA DRB1*11 carriers and noncarriers were 552 versus 61 days, respectively (p = 0.004). The same time intervals for HLA DQB1*0301 carriers and noncarriers were 420 versus 59 days, respectively (p = 0.012). However, HLA DQB1*0302 or DRB1*03 carriers had shorter median intervals, when compared with noncarriers (119 versus 266 days, respectively, p = 0.20; and 86 versus 258 days, respectively, p = 0.38) but they did not reach statistical significance. HLA type appears to influence the progression of asthma from initial symptoms to disease. Thus, genetic factors may affect the natural history of asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Whitney Molis
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Robert M. Jacobson
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Gregory A. Poland
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Amy L. Weaver
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Young J. Juhn
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
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Kawahara N, Hasegawa S, Hashimoto K, Matsubara T, Ichiyama T, Furukawa S. Characteristics of asthma attack with long-term management for bronchial asthma. Pediatr Int 2009; 51:657-60. [PMID: 19419513 DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-200x.2009.02843.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There have been no reports on the evaluation of the usefulness of long-term asthma management based on the Japanese Pediatric Guideline for the Treatment and Management of Bronchial Asthma 2005 (JPGL 2005). METHODS The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively investigate the records of 350 patients admitted to Yamaguchi University Hospital who had asthma attacks from January 2006 to June 2008. There were 149 patients who were treated for more than 3 months in accordance with the guideline (long-term management group) and 201 who were not (non-long-term management group). The patients were divided into three age groups: 100 infants, 159 toddlers, and 91 schoolchildren. RESULTS The onset age of asthma in the long-term management group was earlier than that in the non-long-term management group in toddlers and schoolchildren. The white blood cell counts and C-reactive protein levels were higher in the non-long-term management group in schoolchildren, suggesting the complication of some infections. The severity of asthma in the long-term management group was greater than that in the non-long-term management group among all three age groups. There were no significant differences, however, in the severity of asthma attack at admission between the long-term and non-long-term management groups in the three age groups. CONCLUSION Patients who had severe asthma tended to be treated with long-term management, which suggests that long-term asthma management according to JPGL 2005 may reduce the severity of asthma attack at that admission, because the severity of asthma in patients undergoing long-term management correlates with the severity of asthma attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriko Kawahara
- Department of Pediatrics, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan
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