Higher mortality of adults with asthma: A 15-year follow-up of a population-based cohort

Adult-onset asthma, allergy, and aspirin hypersensitivity associate with self-reported food avoidance

Background

The adoption of avoidance diets by adult-onset asthmatics has not previously been studied. We hypothesized that avoidance diets would associate with adult-onset asthma, allergy, and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD).

Methods

A total of 1247 subjects with adult-onset asthma (age range: 31-91) from the Finnish national registry, and age- and sex-matched controls (n = 1970) participated in a questionnaire study in 1997. We estimated the association between asthma/allergy/AERD and avoidance diets, adjusting for potential confounding factors and validated the results in two retrospective cohorts of 5080 rhinitis/rhinosinusitis patients and 167 AERD patients from 2019 to 2020.

Results

The presence of asthma positively associated with adoption of any avoidance diet (adjusted OR [CI95%] 1.24 [1.02-1.51], p = 0.029) as did allergic disease and self-reported AERD within the asthmatic group (1.79 [1.29-2.48], p = 0.001 and 1.69 [1.15-2.49], p = 0.007, respectively). Asthmatics and allergic asthmatics were more likely to report avoidance of fish, fruits and vegetables, and spices (p ≤ 0.03) compared to controls and non-allergic asthmatics. The adjusted OR for multiple diets among AERD patients was 2.57 [1.34-4.95] p = 0.005. In the validation, 26.2% of the allergic asthmatics and 10.8% of AERD patients had documented avoidance diets.

Conclusions

Our study shows a positive association between avoidance diets and adult-onset asthma, and with allergic disease or AERD within asthmatic patients. Although we lack information on the reason patients chose to observe a specific diet, our results reinforce the importance of asking patients about their diet and if needed, giving dietary advice for adult asthma patients to help them avoid the adoption of unnecessarily restrictive diets.

Level of Education Modifies Asthma Mortality in Norway and Sweden. The Nordic EpiLung Study

Background and Aim

The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), asthma and mortality is complex and multifaceted, and it is not established if educational level modifies the association between asthma and mortality. The aim was to study the association between asthma and mortality in Sweden and Norway and to what extent educational level modifies this association.

Participants and Methods

Within the Nordic EpiLung Study, >56,000 individuals aged 30-69 years participated in population-based surveys on asthma and associated risk factors in Sweden and Norway during 2005-2007. Data on educational level and 10-year all-cause mortality were linked by national authorities. The fraction of mortality risk attributable to asthma was calculated, and Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for mortality related to asthma, stratified by educational level.

Results

In total, 5.5% of all deaths was attributed to asthma. When adjusted for potential confounders, the HR for mortality related to asthma was 1.71 (95% CI 1.52-1.93). Those with primary level of education had higher hazard of all-cause death related to asthma than those with tertiary level (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.48-2.18, vs HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.99-1.95).

Conclusion

Asthma was associated with an overall 71% increased all-cause mortality and 5.5% of deaths can be attributed to asthma. Educational levels modified the risk of mortality associated with asthma, with the highest risk among those with primary education.

Comorbidities associated with adult asthma: a population-based matched cohort study in Finland

BACKGROUND

Asthma is a common chronic disease characterised by variable respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation, affecting roughly 4%-10% of the adult population. Adult asthma is associated with higher all-cause mortality compared to individuals without asthma. In this study, we investigate the comorbidities that may affect the management of asthma.

METHODS

Total of 1648 adults with asthma and 3310 individuals without asthma aged 30-93 were matched with age, gender and area of residency, and followed from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2013. Baseline information was collected with questionnaires 1997 and follow-up register data from the national discharge registry Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Data included diagnoses from outpatient care and day surgery of specialised health care, and data from inpatient care of specialised and primary health care. We included all main diagnoses that had at minimum 200 events and number of diagnoses based on their common appearance with adult asthma.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up time varied between 14.2 and 15.1 years, and age at the time of enrolment was 53.9 years for subjects without asthma and 54.4 years for patients with asthma. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 10 times more common among asthmatics. Risk of acute rhinosinusitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis and vocal cord dysfunction was fourfold and risk of pneumonia, and chronic rhinosinusitis was 2.5 times more common among asthmatics. Sleep apnoea, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, diabetes, allergic rhinitis and dysfunctional breathing were twofold and cataract nearly twofold higher in the asthmatic group. Adult asthma was also significantly associated with musculoskeletal diseases, incontinence and bronchiectasis.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common and most severe comorbidity of adult asthma in this study was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Other common comorbidities of adult asthma include acute rhinosinusitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, dysfunctional breathing, diabetes, pneumonia, sleep apnoea and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Cluster Analysis of Finnish Population-Based Adult-Onset Asthma Patients

BACKGROUND

Phenotypes of adult asthma have been identified in previous studies but rarely in population-based settings.

OBJECTIVE

To identify clusters of adult-onset asthma in a Finnish population-based study on subjects born before 1967.

METHODS

We used population-based data from 1350 asthmatics with adult-onset asthma (Adult Asthma in Finland) from Finnish national registers. Twenty-eight covariates were selected based on literature. The number of covariates was reduced by using factor analysis before cluster analysis.

RESULTS

Five clusters (CLU1-CLU5) were identified, 3 clusters with late-onset adult asthma (onset ≥40 years) and 2 clusters with onset at earlier adulthood (<40 years). Subjects in CLU1 (n = 666) had late-onset asthma and were nonobese, symptomatic, and predominantly female with few respiratory infections during childhood. CLU2 (n = 36) consisted of subjects who had earlier-onset asthma, were predominantly female, obese with allergic asthma, and had recurrent respiratory infections. Subjects in CLU3 (n = 75) were nonobese, older, and predominantly men with late-onset asthma, smoking history, comorbidities, severe asthma, least allergic diseases, low education, many siblings, and childhood in rural areas. CLU4 (n = 218) was a late-onset cluster consisting of obese females with comorbidities, asthma symptoms, and low education level. Subjects in CLU5 (n = 260) had earlier onset asthma, were nonobese, and predominantly allergic females.

CONCLUSIONS

Our population-based adult-onset asthma clusters take into account several critical factors such as obesity and smoking, and identified clusters that partially overlap with clusters identified in clinical settings. Results give us a more profound understanding of adult-onset asthma phenotypes and support personalized management.

Risk factors of NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

Asthma with NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD) is associated with uncontrolled or severe asthma. NERD patients are more prone to severe allergic reactions and their asthma exacerbations lead to hospitalisations twice as often compared to patients with non-NERD-asthma. NERD patients are prone to recurrent nasal polyposis requiring frequent endoscopic sinus surgeries. However, the early risk factors of NERD are not fully understood. The aim was to identify risk factors of NERD among patients with adult-onset asthma.

METHODS

We used data from 1350 population-based adult asthmatics with adult-onset asthma from Finnish national registers. NERD was defined as self-reported wheeze or other typical respiratory symptoms after ingestion of NSAIDs. Thirty-six covariates covering several domains (personal characteristics, life-style, early life factors, asthma characteristics and multimorbidities) were selected based on literature and were studied in association with NERD using logistic regressions.

RESULTS

The study population included 153 (11.3%) asthmatics with NERD. Thirty-six covariates were entered in univariate logistic regression analysis, in which 23 were associated with NERD (p < 0.05). These variables were entered in a multivariable logistic regression model in which allergic respiratory symptoms, female sex, osteoarthritis, difficult asthma, nasal polyps, second-hand smoke exposure at home, having 3 or more older siblings and being overweight were significantly associated with asthma with NERD (p < 0.05). Overweight decreased the risk of NERD, other factors increased it.

CONCLUSION

According to our study, risk factors of NERD in part are associated with female sex, BMI, exposure to tobacco smoke, allergy, orthopaedic disorders and infection history, and their early recognition might thus be important to manage the burden of NERD.

Exploring the genetic association of allergic diseases with cardiovascular diseases: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

Background

In observational and experimental studies, allergic diseases (AD) have been reported to be associated with some types of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as both share common pathophysiological processes involving inflammation and metabolic disorders. However, the direction of the causal association between them remains unclear. This Mendelian randomization (MR) study aims to examine the bidirectional causality between AD and CVD.

Methods

We utilized publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics data from European participants in the UK Biobank and the IEU Open GWAS database. Genetic variants associated with AD, asthma, and CVD were identified and used as instrumental variables to investigate the genetically causal association between them. MR analyses were performed using various analytical methods, including inverse variance weighted-fixed effects (IVW-FE), inverse variance weighted-multiplicative random effects (IVW-RE), MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and maximum likelihood. Sensitivity tests were conducted to assess the validity of the causality.

Results

The MR analysis with the IVW method revealed a genetically predicted association between AD and essential hypertension [odds ratio (OR)=0.9987, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9976-0.9998, P=0.024], as well as between asthma and atrial fibrillation (OR=1.001, 95% CI: 1.0004-1.0017, P=6.43E-05). In the reverse MR analyses, heart failure was associated with allergic diseases (OR=0.0045, 95% CI: 1.1890E-04 - 0.1695, P=0.004), while atherosclerosis (OR=8.7371E-08, 95% CI: 1.8794E-14 - 4.0617E-01, P=0.038) and aortic aneurysm and dissection (OR=1.7367E-07, 95% CI: 3.8390E-14 - 7.8567E-01, P=0.046) might be protective factors of asthma. However, after a Bonferroni correction, only the association between asthma and atrial fibrillation remained robust.

Conclusion

The MR study revealed that asthma is a predominant risk of atrial fibrillation in European individuals, consistent with most experimental and observational studies. Whether AD affects other CVD and the causality between them needs further investigation.

Mortality of asthma, COPD, and asthma-COPD overlap during an 18-year follow up

BACKGROUND

We studied asthma, COPD, and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) to predict mortality in a cohort of Finnish adults with an 18-year follow up.

METHODS

A national health examination survey representing Finnish adults aged ≥30 years was performed in 2000-2001. The study cohort included 5922 participants (73.8% of the sample) with all relevant data, including a comprehensive clinical examination and spirometry. These participants were followed continuously from baseline until end of 2018 for total, cardiovascular, cancer, and respiratory mortality through a record linkage. Asthma, COPD, and ACO were defined based on the survey data, including spirometry and register data. There were three separate groups of obstructive subjects (one definition excluding the others).

RESULTS

Asthma and COPD were significantly associated with higher total mortality in Cox's model adjusted for sex, age, smoking, education level, BMI, leisure time physical activity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Hazard ratios (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for asthma, COPD, and ACO were 1.29 (1.05-1.58), 1.50 (1.20-1.88), and 1.26 (0.97-1.65), respectively. Additionally, asthma (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.09-1.97) and COPD (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.08-2.16) were associated with cardiovascular mortality. Although ACO did not predict mortality in the whole cohort, there was a significant association with mortality risk among those with hs-CRP 1-2.99 mg/l.

CONCLUSIONS

Asthma or COPD predicts higher total mortality and premature death from cardiovascular diseases.

Acute severe asthma and its predictors of mortality in rural Southwestern Nigeria: a-five year retrospective observational study

OBJECTIVES

There is an observed paucity of data regarding the predictors of asthma mortality in Nigeria. This study aimed to ascertain the clinical presentations and predictors of acute severe asthma mortality in rural Southwestern Nigeria.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study using a data form and a standardized questionnaire was used to review the 124 patients admitted at Emergency Department between January 2015 and December 2019. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 22.0. The results were presented in descriptive and tabular formats. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of asthma mortality and a p-value <.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 124 patients were studied. The acute severe asthma mortality was 4.8% and its predictors were older age (Crude odds Ratio (COR), 14.857; 95% CI: 2.489-88.696, p < .001), Tobacco smoking (COR, 6.741; 95% CI: 1.170-38.826, p = .016), more than three co-morbidities (COR, 2.750; 95% CI: 1.147-26.454, p = 0.012), diabetes mellitus (COR, 13.750; 95% CI: 2.380-79.433, p < .001), Human Immunodeficiency virus (COR, 117.000; 95% CI: 9.257-1479.756, p < .001), ≥2 days before presentation (COR, 7.440; 95% CI: 1.288-42.980, p = .039), and Short-acting-B2-agonists overuse (COR, 7.041; 95% CI: 1.005-62.165, p = .044).

CONCLUSION

The mortality rate was 4.8% and its predictors were older age patients, tobacco smoking, multiple co-morbidities, diabetes mellitus, HIV, SP02 <90%, delay presentation, and Short-acting-B2-agonists over use, The study showed that there is high prevalence of asthma mortality in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The findings may be used to plan for asthma preventions and control programs in rural settings, and may also provide an impetus for prospective research on these outcomes.

Multiple Tobacco Product Use among Adolescents with Asthma in Korea

Few studies have examined the use of multiple tobacco products among adolescents with asthma. The purpose of this study was to examine multiple tobacco product use and smoking behaviors. In this study, data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS) were used, and 57,303 samples from 400 middle schools and 400 high schools in Korea were classified as study participants. Statistical analysis was performed with a complex sample design, using frequency analysis, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression analysis. Adolescents with asthma had a higher current smoking rate for combustible cigarettes (CC), e-cigarettes (EC), and heated tobacco products (HTPs) than those without asthma (p < 0.001). The rates of dual use (using two types of tobacco; CC + EC or CC + HTPs or EC + HTPs; OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.626−4.240, R2 = 26.8%) and triple use (using three types of tobacco; CC + EC + HTPs; OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.678−4.065, R2 = 34.9%) were higher in adolescents with asthma than those without asthma, after adjusting for confounders. The smoking rate of new types of tobacco among adolescents with asthma is on the rise. Therefore, the calculation of basic data related to new tobacco smoking among adolescents is essential for establishing a continuous monitoring system to alleviate the burden of disease on national health.

Additive effects of coexisting respiratory comorbidities on overall or respiratory mortality in patients with asthma: a national cohort study

Asthmatic patients are generally considered to have an increased risk of mortality compared with subjects without asthma. However, this issue has been less evaluated using nationally representative data. Moreover, it is unclear whether respiratory comorbidities other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with increased mortality in asthmatic patients compared with subjects without. Using a nationally representative sample database, we performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with asthma and age-sex-matched control cohort. We estimated the hazard ratio (HR) and stratified the asthma cohort based on respiratory comorbidities. During a median 8.9-year follow-up, the overall mortality rate was higher in the asthma cohort than in the control cohort (p < 0.001). The hazard ratio (HR) for overall mortality in the asthma cohort compared with the control cohort was 1.13. The effects of asthma on overall mortality were more evident in males, patients under medical aid, and subjects with COPD. Respiratory comorbidities were significantly associated with increased risk of overall mortality in asthmatic patients compared with controls (adjusted HRs; 1.48 for COPD, 1.40 for bronchiectasis, 4.08 for lung cancer, and 1.59 for pneumonia). While asthma and lung cancer showed an additive effect only on overall mortality, asthma and other respiratory comorbidities (COPD, pneumonia, and bronchiectasis) had additive effects only on respiratory mortality. Patients with asthma had a higher overall mortality rate compared with subjects without asthma. Respiratory comorbidities showed an additive effect on overall or respiratory mortality in patients with asthma.

Cigarette Smoking and Asthma

Globally, around half the adult asthma population are current or former cigarette smokers. Cigarette smoking and asthma interact to induce an "asthma-smoking phenotype(s)," which has important implications for diagnosis, pathogenic mechanisms, and management. The lack of progress in understanding the effects of smoking on adults with asthma is due in part to their exclusion from most investigative studies and large clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the adverse clinical outcomes associated with cigarette smoking in asthma, highlight challenges in diagnosing asthma among cigarette smokers with chronic respiratory symptoms, particularly in older individuals with a long-standing smoking history, and review pathogenic mechanisms involving smoking- and asthma-related airway inflammation, tissue remodeling, corticosteroid insensitivity, and low-grade systemic inflammation. We discuss the key components of management including the importance of smoking cessation strategies, evidence for the effectiveness of the Global Initiative for Asthma recommendations on treatment in cigarette smokers, and the role of treatable traits such as type 2 eosinophilic airway inflammation. Lastly, we provide an algorithm to aid clinicians to manage current and former smokers with asthma. In the future, controlled and pragmatic trials in real-world populations should include cigarette smokers with asthma to provide an evidence base for treatment recommendations.

Association Between Asthma and All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

Background

Asthma and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share many risk factors. Previous meta-analyses indicated that asthma is associated with an increased risk of CVD and all-cause mortality, but these studies were limited by unstandardized search strategies and the number of articles included.

Objective

We sought to systematically synthesize evidence investigating the impact of asthma on all-cause mortality and CVD morbidity and mortality.

Methods

We searched in PubMed and EMBASE for observational cohort studies (inception dates to November 10, 2021) that had both asthma groups and control groups. We also manually searched the reference lists of correlative articles to include other eligible studies. Data for associations between asthma and all-cause mortality and CVD morbidity and mortality were needed.

Results

We summarized the findings from 30 cohort studies comprising 4,157,823 participants. Asthma patients had increased CVD morbidity [relative risk (RR) = 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–1.40] and increased CVD mortality (RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.14–1.38). Asthma patients also had increased risk of all-cause mortality (RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.07–1.77). In subgroup analyses, female asthma patients had a higher risk of CVD morbidity and all-cause mortality than male asthma patients, and late-onset asthma patients had a higher risk of CVD morbidity than early-onset asthma patients.

Conclusion

Asthma patients have increased risk of all-cause mortality and CVD morbidity and mortality. This information reminds clinicians to be aware of the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in asthma patients.

Systematic Review Registration

http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, PROSPERO, identifier: CRD 42021290082.

Eosinophilic airway diseases: basic science, clinical manifestations and future challenges

Eosinophils have a broad range of functions, both homeostatic and pathological, mediated through an array of cell surface receptors and specific secretory granules that promote interactions with their microenvironment. Eosinophil development, differentiation, activation, survival and recruitment are closely regulated by a number of type 2 cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-5, the key driver of eosinophilopoiesis. Evidence shows that type 2 inflammation, driven mainly by interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, plays an important role in the pathophysiology of eosinophilic airway diseases, including asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and hypereosinophilic syndrome. Several biologic therapies have been developed to suppress type 2 inflammation, namely mepolizumab, reslizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab, omalizumab and tezepelumab. While these therapies have been associated with clinical benefits in a range of eosinophilic diseases, their development has highlighted several challenges and directions for future research. These include the need for further information on disease progression and identification of treatable traits, including clinical characteristics or biomarkers that will improve the prediction of treatment response. The Nordic countries have a long tradition of collaboration using patient registries and Nordic asthma registries provide unique opportunities to address these research questions. One example of such a registry is the NORdic Dataset for aSThmA Research (NORDSTAR), a longitudinal population-based dataset containing all 3.3 million individuals with asthma from four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). Large-scale, real-world registry data such as those from Nordic countries may provide important information regarding the progression of eosinophilic asthma, in addition to clinical characteristics or biomarkers that could allow targeted treatment and ensure optimal patient outcomes.

Diseases with oral manifestations among adult asthmatics in Finland: a population-based matched cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Many comorbidities are associated with adult asthma and may exacerbate the asthma burden of disease. This study aims to investigate the risk for major oral diseases or oral-manifesting diseases in asthmatic compared with non-asthmatic adults.

DESIGN

We conducted a population-based matched cohort study with a 13.8-year follow-up.

SETTING

A baseline questionnaire was completed by participants in 1997 and follow-up data were extracted from the national hospital discharge registry of the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland from 1997 to 2014.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1394 adults with asthma were matched with 2398 adults without asthma based on sex, age and area of residence. Asthmatic adults were identified from the Drug Reimbursement Register of the Finnish Social Insurance Institution based on a special drug reimbursement right resulting from asthma. Participants without asthma were identified from the Population Register.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Oral health-related primary diagnoses were retrieved using codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition and divided into groups of diseases. Cox's proportional hazards models stratified by matching unit and models matched and adjusted for pack-years, education level and body mass index (when possible) were used to evaluate the matched and further adjusted HRs for diseases comparing asthmatic and non-asthmatic cohorts.

RESULTS

Adult asthma was associated with a higher risk for any oral-manifesting disease (adjusted HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.80), herpes zoster (adjusted HR 6.18, 95% CI 1.21 to 31.6), benign tumours of the oral cavity and pharynx (matched HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.56) and dermatological diseases (pemphigus, pemphigoid, dermatitis herpetiformis, psoriasis and lichen planus, HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.78).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, adult asthmatics experienced a higher risk for a major oral disease or oral-manifesting disease.

Long-term predictors of severe exacerbations and mortality in a cohort of well-characterised adults with asthma

Background

We aimed to explore long-term predictors of severe exacerbations and mortality in adults with well-characterised asthma.

Study design and methods

Adults (aged ≥ 15) with an objectively verified diagnosis of asthma were recruited from a Danish respiratory outpatient clinic between 1974 and 1990. All individuals were followed in Danish registries for vital status, hospital admissions for asthma and cause of death until end of 2017. Predictors of exacerbations were obtained from a repeated measures model. Standardised mortality rates (SMR) for all-causes were compared with the Danish background population. Hazard ratios for mortality were obtained from a cox proportional hazards model in a two-step process.

Results

At baseline, the cohort comprised 1071 patients (mean age 38, SD 16, 61% women), of whom 357 (33%) died during follow-up, with 93 (26%) dying from asthma (primary diagnosis). We found an SMR of 1.24 (95% CI 1.11–1.37, p < 0.001) for all-cause mortality. Baseline predictors for asthma-related death and repeated severe exacerbations were increasing age, ever smoker, FEV₁ < 80% pred., high blood eosinophils, longer duration of symptoms and use of SABA > twice daily. Being non-atopic, having a positive histamine challenge test and symptoms more than twice a week were also predictors of repeated exacerbations.

Conclusions

Markers of poor asthma control, including high use of SABA, are predictors of long-term exacerbation rate and mortality over 30 years in patients with well-characterised asthma. Improving asthma control, including lung function and reducing use of reliever medication, is vital for improving the long-term outcome of asthma.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12931-021-01864-z.

Demographic, lifestyle and comorbid risk factors for all-cause mortality in a Danish cohort of middle-aged adults with incident asthma

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to identify factors associated with all-cause mortality in adults with incident asthma.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Cross-sectional cohort study, in the metropolitan areas of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged 50-64 years enrolled in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort were followed up from baseline (1993-1997) in the National Patients Registry for first-time admissions for asthma and vital status. We defined incident asthma as at least one first-time hospital admission with asthma as the primary registered diagnosis between baseline and end of follow-up (2013) in participants without previously known asthma. Among the cohort comprising 57 053 individuals, we identified 785 adults (aged 50-64) with incident asthma, of whom 76 died during follow-up.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Baseline reported socioeconomic and lifestyle traits, and comorbidities associated with all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

Self-reported leisure-time physical activity was associated with a substantial reduction in risk with an HR of 0.53 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.85). Being male, single and having a diagnosis of hypertension or diabetes were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality with an HR of 1.83 (95% CI 1.14 to 2.38), 2.16 (95% CI 2.06 to 4.40), 2.47 (95% CI 1.54 to 3.95) and of 2.42 (95% CI 0.96 to 6.11), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This long-term study of adults with hospital contacts for incident asthma revealed that self-reported leisure-time physical activity is associated with an approximately 50% reduction in all-cause mortality. In contrast, both hypertension and diabetes were associated with a higher risk of mortality.

Immunopharmacology in Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis: Current and Future Perspectives

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a complex and chronic, multifactorial Th2 cell-mediated chronic ocular surface inflammatory condition that typically affects predominantly male children in hot or warm climates. The primary symptom is intense ocular pruritus, often significant enough to affect activities of daily living. Clinical features differ from simple forms of allergic conjunctivitis in that they are more-or-less confined to the superior tarsus and limbus. There is also a risk of corneal involvement, which leads to irreversible vision loss in approximately 6% of patients. Right now, there is no standardized treatment protocol, and many of the currently available options are not effective in severe and recurrent cases. As such, it is imperative to understand this complex allergic immune response in order to identify future therapeutic targets. This review will focus on potential drug targets in VKC, with particular emphasis on immunomodulators and immunobiologic agents.

Combined Effect of Hot Weather and Outdoor Air Pollution on Respiratory Health: Literature Review

Association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and respiratory health is well documented. At the same time, it is widely known that extreme weather events intrinsically exacerbate air pollution impact. Particularly, hot weather and extreme temperatures during heat waves (HW) significantly affect human health, increasing risks of respiratory mortality and morbidity. Concurrently, a synergistic effect of air pollution and high temperatures can be combined with weather–air pollution interaction during wildfires. The purpose of the current review is to summarize literature on interplay of hot weather, air pollution, and respiratory health consequences worldwide, with the ultimate goal of identifying the most dangerous pollution agents and vulnerable population groups. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases Web of Science, Pubmed, Science Direct, and Scopus, focusing only on peer-reviewed journal articles published in English from 2000 to 2021. The main findings demonstrate that the increased level of PM10 and O3 results in significantly higher rates of respiratory and cardiopulmonary mortality. Increments in PM2.5 and PM10, O3, CO, and NO2 concentrations during high temperature episodes are dramatically associated with higher admissions to hospital in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, daily hospital emergency transports for asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, and premature mortality caused by respiratory disease. Excessive respiratory health risk is more pronounced in elderly cohorts and small children. Both heat waves and outdoor air pollution are synergistically linked and are expected to be more serious in the future due to greater climate instability, being a crucial threat to global public health that requires the responsible involvement of researchers at all levels. Sustainable urban planning and smart city design could significantly reduce both urban heat islands effect and air pollution.

Overweight improves long-term survival in Japanese patients with asthma

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a risk factor for severe and difficult-to-treat asthma. However, the impact of different physiques on long-term outcomes is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the correlation between obesity and asthma-associated long-term mortality in Japanese adults.

METHODS

From the data on 3146 individuals with air pollution-related respiratory diseases in the Omuta City Air Pollution-Related Health Damage Cohort Program, 697 adult patients with asthma were analyzed. Hazard ratios for long-term all-cause and respiratory disease -related mortality were compared in patients with different physiques using the Cox proportional hazard models. The classification of physiques was based on the WHO obesity criteria.

RESULTS

Of the 697 patients, 439 died during the median observation period of 26.3 years. The number (% of total) of underweight, normal-weight, pre-obese, and obese class I-III individuals were 75 (10.8%), 459 (65.9%), 140 (20.1%), and 23 (3.3%), respectively. The Cox proportional hazard model (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], P value) showed that pre-obese group had a significantly reduced risk for all-cause (0.65 [0.51 to 0.83], P < 0.05) and respiratory disease (0.55 [0.37 to 0.81], P < 0.05)-related mortality related to normal-weight group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our cohort program demonstrated that being slightly overweight may reduce the risk of long-term mortality in patients with asthma. However, the influence of obesity on long-term outcomes remains unclear in asthma, because of the small number of obese patients included in our study. Our findings suggest that interventions, including nutrition and exercises, should be provided to Japanese patients with asthma.

Adults with current asthma but not former asthma have higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a population-based prospective cohort study

Higher mortality in asthmatics has been shown previously. However, evidence on different asthma phenotypes on long-term mortality risk is limited. The aim was to evaluate the impact of asthma phenotypes on mortality in general population. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001–2002 to 2013–2014 linked mortality files through December 31, 2015, were used (N = 37,015). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, smoking, body mass index, and chronic conditions. During the mean follow-up time of 7.5 years, 4326 participants died from a variety of causes. Current asthma, but not former asthma was associated with increased all-cause mortality (current asthma: HR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.20–1.58; Former asthma: HR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.73–1.18); as well as mortality from cardiovascular disease (HR_Current = 1.41; 95% CI 1.08–1.85) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (HR_Current = 3.17; 95% CI 1.96–5.14). In addition, we found that the HR for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality was slightly greater in people with childhood-onset asthma than those with adult-onset asthma. The HR for chronic lower respiratory diseases (CLRD) mortality was greater in people with adult-onset asthma than those with childhood-onset asthma. However, the differences were not statistically significant. Our study suggested that current asthma but not former asthma was associated with increased all-cause, CLRD and CVD mortality. Future well-designed studies with larger sample are required to demonstrate the association and clarify the potential mechanisms involved.

Dupilumab Improves Asthma and Sinonasal Outcomes in Adults with Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis

BACKGROUND

Dupilumab has demonstrated efficacy with acceptable safety in clinical trials in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD).

OBJECTIVE

To assess dupilumab's impact on asthma and sinonasal conditions in adult patients with moderate to severe AD in four randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials.

METHODS

In LIBERTY AD SOLO 1 (NCT02277743), SOLO 2 (NCT02755649), CHRONOS (NCT02260986), and CAFÉ (NCT02755649), patients received placebo, dupilumab 300 mg every 2 weeks (q2w), or dupilumab 300 mg weekly (qw). In CHRONOS and CAFÉ, patients received concomitant topical corticosteroids. This post hoc analysis assessed Asthma Control Questionnaire-5 (ACQ-5) scores in patients with asthma, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) scores in patients with sinonasal conditions, and AD signs and symptoms in all patients.

RESULTS

Of the 2444 patients, 463 had asthma with baseline ACQ-5 ≥ 0.5 (19%); 1171 had sinonasal conditions (48%); and 311 had both (13%). At week 16, ACQ-5 scores (least squares mean change from baseline [standard error]) improved by 0.27 (0.07), 0.59 (0.08), and 0.56 (0.07) in placebo-, q2w-, and qw-treated patients with asthma, respectively, whereas SNOT-22 scores improved by 5.1 (0.8), 9.9 (0.9), and 10.8 (0.8) in patients with sinonasal conditions (P < .01 for all dupilumab vs placebo). Improvements in ACQ-5 and SNOT-22 were also seen in patients with both conditions. Dupilumab also significantly improved AD signs and symptoms among all subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

In this first analysis of patients with comorbid moderate to severe AD, asthma, and/or chronic sinonasal conditions, dupilumab improved all three diseases in a clinically meaningful and statistically significant manner (vs placebo), based on validated outcome measures.

Conjunctivitis in Dupilumab Clinical Trials for Adolescents with Atopic Dermatitis or Asthma

BACKGROUND

Conjunctivitis is a known comorbidity of atopic dermatitis. Dupilumab clinical trials for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults showed a higher conjunctivitis incidence for dupilumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients, whereas trials for uncontrolled asthma reported lower rates for both dupilumab and placebo.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence and severity of conjunctivitis in dupilumab clinical trials in adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis or uncontrolled asthma.

METHODS

We evaluated the incidence of conjunctivitis in adolescents (aged 12 to < 18 years) in three phase III trials. Ocular events were diagnosed and treated based on patient-reported symptoms and an external eye examination by study investigators, in most cases without an ophthalmologic referral. In LIBERTY AD ADOL (16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial), adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis were randomized to subcutaneous placebo, dupilumab 300 mg every 4 weeks, or dupilumab every 2 weeks (200 mg, patients < 60 kg at baseline; 300 mg, ≥ 60 kg at baseline). In LIBERTY AD PED-OLE (open-label extension), pediatric patients from previous dupilumab atopic dermatitis trials received dupilumab 2 mg/kg or 4 mg/kg weekly (up to 300 mg) or 300 mg every 4 weeks. In LIBERTY ASTHMA QUEST (randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial), patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma were randomized to 52 weeks of add-on therapy with dupilumab 200 or 300 mg every 2 weeks or matched-volume placebo.

RESULTS

In ADOL, more dupilumab-treated (17/165; 10.3%) than placebo-treated patients (4/85; 4.7%) reported one or more conjunctivitis event. All events were mild to moderate in severity; 12 (7.3%) dupilumab-treated and 4 (4.7%) placebo-treated patients received treatment. Most patients with conjunctivitis (dupilumab, 12/17; placebo, 4/4) recovered/resolved during the treatment period. The risk of conjunctivitis showed no relationship with dupilumab serum concentration. In PED-OLE, 12/275 adolescents (4.4%) reported one or more conjunctivitis event. Most conjunctivitis events were mild to moderate. Ten patients received treatment for conjunctivitis. Ten patients recovered/resolved during the study. In QUEST, similar low proportions of dupilumab-treated (2/68, 2.9%) and placebo-treated (1/39, 2.6%) adolescents reported one or more conjunctivitis event. All events were mild to moderate. One dupilumab-treated patient received treatment for conjunctivitis. All cases recovered/resolved during the study. No patients in these trials discontinued study treatment temporarily or permanently because of conjunctivitis. In ADOL, one case of unspecified viral keratitis (specific viral etiology not known) in the dupilumab 300-mg every 4 weeks group and one case of allergic blepharitis in the placebo group were reported; both events resolved during the treatment period, and neither led to treatment discontinuation.

CONCLUSIONS

Dupilumab-treated adolescents in atopic dermatitis trials had a higher incidence of conjunctivitis than placebo-treated patients, whereas overall rates of conjunctivitis among adolescents in the asthma trial were lower than in atopic dermatitis trials and were similar for dupilumab- and placebo-treated patients. Most events were mild to moderate, most recovered/resolved, and none prompted study withdrawal. These results are similar to those reported in adult trials and support a drug-disease interaction. CLINICALTRIALS.

GOV IDENTIFIERS

NCT03054428, NCT02612454, NCT02414854. Conjunctivitis in Dupilumab Clinical Trials for Adolescents with Atopic Dermatitis or Asthma (MP4 18453 kb).

Advances and recent developments in asthma in 2020

In this review, we discuss recent publications on asthma and review the studies that have reported on the different aspects of the prevalence, risk factors and prevention, mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of asthma. Many risk and protective factors and molecular mechanisms are involved in the development of asthma. Emerging concepts and challenges in implementing the exposome paradigm and its application in allergic diseases and asthma are reviewed, including genetic and epigenetic factors, microbial dysbiosis, and environmental exposure, particularly to indoor and outdoor substances. The most relevant experimental studies further advancing the understanding of molecular and immune mechanisms with potential new targets for the development of therapeutics are discussed. A reliable diagnosis of asthma, disease endotyping, and monitoring its severity are of great importance in the management of asthma. Correct evaluation and management of asthma comorbidity/multimorbidity, including interaction with asthma phenotypes and its value for the precision medicine approach and validation of predictive biomarkers, are further detailed. Novel approaches and strategies in asthma treatment linked to mechanisms and endotypes of asthma, particularly biologicals, are critically appraised. Finally, due to the recent pandemics and its impact on patient management, we discuss the challenges, relationships, and molecular mechanisms between asthma, allergies, SARS-CoV-2, and COVID-19.

Genomics of asthma, allergy and chronic rhinosinusitis: novel concepts and relevance in airway mucosa

Genome wide association studies (GWASs) have revealed several airway disease-associated risk loci. Their role in the onset of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) or chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), however, is not yet fully understood. The aim of this review is to evaluate the airway relevance of loci and genes identified in GWAS studies. GWASs were searched from databases, and a list of loci associating significantly (p < 10-8) with asthma, AR and CRS was created. This yielded a total of 267 significantly asthma/AR-associated loci from 31 GWASs. No significant CRS -associated loci were found in this search. A total of 170 protein coding genes were connected to these loci. Of these, 76/170 (44%) showed bronchial epithelial protein expression in stained microscopic figures of Human Protein Atlas (HPA), and 61/170 (36%) had a literature report of having airway epithelial function. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation analyses were performed, and 19 functional protein categories were found as significantly (p < 0.05) enriched among these genes. These were related to cytokine production, cell activation and adaptive immune response, and all were strongly connected in network analysis. We also identified 15 protein pathways that were significantly (p < 0.05) enriched in these genes, related to T-helper cell differentiation, virus infection, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and asthma. A third of GWAS-level risk loci genes of asthma or AR seemed to have airway epithelial functions according to our database and literature searches. In addition, many of the risk loci genes were immunity related. Some risk loci genes also related to metabolism, neuro-musculoskeletal or other functions. Functions overlapped and formed a strong network in our pathway analyses and are worth future studies of biomarker and therapeutics.

Developments in asthma incidence and prevalence in Alberta between 1995 and 2015

BACKGROUND

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by reversible bronchoconstriction and airway inflammation. According to Statistics Canada in 2014, 8.1% of Canadians aged 12 and older reported having asthma diagnosed by a health care professional. Therefore, in 2014 there were an estimated 274,661 persons with asthma in Alberta. Most epidemiological studies estimate prevalence and incidence using survey-based data, which has limitations. The Ontario Asthma Surveillance Information System (OASIS) group has developed and validated an algorithm for epidemiologic asthma studies using provincial health databases. In Alberta, there are some studies using provincial databases, but most are restricted to emergency department visits and do not represent the entire asthma population. Using the validated asthma definition for epidemiologic studies, we performed an analysis of the Alberta Health administrative databases to investigate and report province-wide asthma prevalence, incidence and mortality in Alberta from 1995 to 2015.

METHODS

Data from administrative databases, provided by Alberta Health, was analyzed to determine age and sex specific prevalence, incidence and mortality of the asthma population. The population cohort was all individuals residing in the province of Alberta, ages 0 to 99 from 1995-2015. Kendall's Tau coefficient test was used to ascertain whether the observed trends were statistically significant.

RESULTS

Between 1995 and 2015, the age-standardized incidence of asthma decreased by more than 50% in both males and females. Prevalence, however, increased threefold over the 20 years (for both genders) from 3.9 to 12.3% (Tau = 1.00, p < 0.0001) in females and from 3.5 to 11.6% (Tau = 1.00, p < 0.0001) in males. Thus, in 2015 there were 496,927 people with asthma in Alberta. All-cause mortality in the asthma population decreased over time, in both females (Tau = - 0.71, p < 0.0001) and males (Tau = - 0.69, p = 0.0001). For the last several years, all-cause mortality was higher in those with asthma. There were ~ 7 deaths/1000 in the population with asthma versus ~ 5 deaths/1000 in those without asthma.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of asthma decreased in both females and males while prevalence continued to increase, although at a slower rate than previously. All-cause mortality in asthma patients was higher than in those without asthma, but both decreased over time.

Asthma and all-cause mortality in children and young adults: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Studies suggest an increased all-cause mortality among adults with asthma. We aimed to study the relationship between asthma in children and young adults and all-cause mortality, and investigate differences in mortality rate by also having a life-limiting condition (LLC) or by parental socioeconomic status (SES).

METHODS

Included in this register-based study are 2 775 430 individuals born in Sweden between January 1986 and December 2012. We identified asthma cases using the National Patient Register (NPR) and the Prescribed Drug Register. Those with LLC were identified using the NPR. Parental SES at birth (income and education) was retrieved from Statistics Sweden. We estimated the association between asthma and all-cause mortality using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Effect modification by LLC or parental SES was studied using interaction terms in the adjusted model.

RESULTS

The adjusted hazard rate (adjHR) for all-cause mortality in asthma cases versus non-asthma cases was 1.46 (95% CI 1.33 to 1.62). The highest increased rate appeared to be for those aged 5-15 years. In persons with asthma and without LLC, the adjHR remained increased at 1.33 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.50), but differed (p=0.002) from those with asthma and LLC, with an adjHR of 1.87 (95% CI 1.57 to 2.22). Parental SES did not alter the association (income, p=0.55; education, p=0.83).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that asthma is associated with an increased mortality in children and young adults regardless of LLC or parental SES. Further research is warranted to investigate the possible mechanisms for this association.

The need for clean air: The way air pollution and climate change affect allergic rhinitis and asthma

Air pollution and climate change have a significant impact on human health and well-being and contribute to the onset and aggravation of allergic rhinitis and asthma among other chronic respiratory diseases. In Westernized countries, households have experienced a process of increasing insulation and individuals tend to spend most of their time indoors. These sequelae implicate a high exposure to indoor allergens (house dust mites, pets, molds, etc), tobacco smoke, and other pollutants, which have an impact on respiratory health. Outdoor air pollution derived from traffic and other human activities not only has a direct negative effect on human health but also enhances the allergenicity of some plants and contributes to global warming. Climate change modifies the availability and distribution of plant- and fungal-derived allergens and increases the frequency of extreme climate events. This review summarizes the effects of indoor air pollution, outdoor air pollution, and subsequent climate change on asthma and allergic rhinitis in children and adults and addresses the policy adjustments and lifestyle changes required to mitigate their deleterious effects.

Body mass index and all-cause mortality in older adults: A scoping review of observational studies

In older age, body composition changes as fat mass increases and redistributes. Therefore, the current body mass index (BMI) classification may not accurately reflect risk in older adults (65+). This study aimed to review the evidence on the association between BMI and all-cause mortality in older adults and specifically, the findings regarding overweight and obese BMI. A systematic search of the OVID MEDLINE and Embase databases was conducted between 2013 and September 2018. Observational studies examining the association between BMI and all-cause mortality within a community-dwelling population aged 65+ were included. Seventy-one articles were included. Studies operationalized BMI categorically (n = 60), continuously (n = 8) or as a numerical change/group transition (n = 7). Reduced risk of mortality was observed for the overweight BMI class compared with the normal BMI class (hazard ratios [HR] ranged 0.41-0.96) and for class 1 or 2 obesity in some studies. Among studies examining BMI change, increases in BMI demonstrated lower mortality risks compared with decreases in BMI (HR: 0.83-0.95). Overweight BMI classification or a higher BMI value may be protective with regard to all-cause mortality, relative to normal BMI, in older adults. These findings demonstrate the potential need for age-specific BMI cut-points in older adults.

Multinational cohort study of mortality in patients with asthma and severe asthma

BACKGROUND

Data on the risk of death following an asthma exacerbation are scarce. With this multinational cohort study, we assessed all-cause mortality rates, mortality rates following an exacerbation, and patient characteristics associated with all-cause mortality in asthma.

METHODS

Asthma patients aged ≥18 years and with ≥1 year of follow-up were identified in 5 European electronic databases from the Netherlands, Italy, UK, Denmark and Spain during the study period January 1, 2008-December 31, 2013. Patients with asthma-COPD overlap were excluded. Severe asthma was defined as use of high dose ICS + use of a second controller. Severe asthma exacerbations were defined as emergency department visits, hospitalizations or systemic corticosteroid use, all for reason of asthma.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 586,436 asthma patients of which 42,611 patients (7.3%) had severe asthma. The age and sex standardized all-cause mortality rates ranged between databases from 5.2 to 9.5/1000 person-years (PY) in asthma, and between 11.3 and 14.8/1000 PY in severe asthma. The all-cause mortality rate in the first week following a severe asthma exacerbation ranged between 14.1 and 59.9/1000 PY. Mortality rates remained high in the first month following a severe asthma exacerbation and decreased thereafter. Higher age, male gender, comorbidity, smoking, and previous severe asthma exacerbations were associated with mortality.

CONCLUSION

All-cause mortality following a severe exacerbation is high, especially in the first month following the event. Smoking cessation, comorbidity-management and asthma-treatment focusing on the prevention of exacerbations might reduce associated mortality.

The first year of treatment predicts the prognosis of asthma over 25 y-A prospective study

BACKGROUND

An investigator-driven, real-life follow-up study of adult-onset steroid-naïve, newly diagnosed asthma (162 patients) to investigate the treatment results over the 25-year course of the disease and whether the first treatment year's forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁ ) predicts the long-term prognosis.

METHODS

Eighty-three per cent of the 133 living patients participated in the 25-year examinations. At this visit, basic asthma examinations including lung function, as well as questionnaires for health-related quality of life (HRQoL), GINA and the Asthma Control Test, were used for evaluation. The use of medication and remission was verified.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant change in mean FEV₁ % predicted (FEV₁ %) from baseline to the 25-year control. The changes in FEV₁ % during the first year predicted the results at the end of follow-up. Normal FEV₁ % at the end of the first year predicted normal FEV₁ , and below-normal FEV₁ % at 1 year predicted below-normal FEV₁ % at 25 years. Twenty-nine patients (26.4%) had discontinued their medication, and six (5.5%) used ICS periodically. Clinical remission was reached by 16.4% of the patients, and 7.6% reached functional remission. The general HRQoL remained unchanged.

CONCLUSION

In adult-onset asthma, the level of FEV₁ reached during the first treatment year seems to predict the later lung function level. One quarter of the patients discontinued the asthma treatment, but their HRQoL was better than that of those continuing to use ICS. Clinical remission was reached by 16% of the patients, which is in concordance with other studies.

Risk of adult-onset asthma increases with the number of allergic multimorbidities and decreases with age

BACKGROUND

The aim was to study the association between allergic multimorbidity and adult-onset asthma considering the number of allergic diseases and the age effect.

METHODS

We used population-based data from Finnish national registers including 1205 adults over 30 years of age with recently diagnosed asthma (age range: 30-93), matched for gender, age, and living region with one or two controls (n = 2050). Allergic rhinitis (AR), allergic conjunctivitis (AC), and allergic dermatitis (AD) were defined from self-completed questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression adjusted on potential confounders (smoking, growing in countryside, childhood hospitalized infection/pneumonia, parental asthma/allergy, parental smoking, education level, professional training, number of siblings, and birth order) was applied to estimate the asthma risk associated with allergic multimorbidity.

RESULTS

A total of 1118 cases with asthma and 1772 matched controls were included [mean (SD, min-max) 53 (11, 31-71) years, 37% men)]. AR, AC, and AD were reported by 50.2%, 39.6%, and 33.8%, respectively, among subjects with asthma and 26.1%, 20.0%, and 23.5%, respectively, among controls. Compared to nonatopics, adult-onset asthma increased with the number of allergic diseases; adjusted OR for asthma [95% CI] associated with 1, 2, and 3 allergic diseases was 1.95 [1.52-2.49], 2.87 [2.19-3.77], and 4.26 [3.07-5.90], respectively. The association between adult-onset asthma and ≥ 1 allergic multimorbidity decreased with increasing age (3.52 [2.51-4.94], 2.44 [1.74-3.42], and 1.68 [1.04-2.71]) in subjects < 50 years, 50-62 years, and > 62 years, respectively (p for age*≥1 allergic multimorbidity interaction, 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Adult-onset asthma was positively associated with the number of allergic diseases, and this association decreases with age.

Highlights and recent developments in airway diseases in EAACI journals (2018)

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) supports three journals: Allergy, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and Clinical and Translational Allergy. EAACI's major goals include supporting the promotion of health, in which the prevention of allergy and asthma plays a critical role, and disseminating the knowledge of allergic disease to all stakeholders. In 2018, the remarkable progress in the identification of basic mechanisms of allergic and respiratory diseases as well as the translation of these findings into clinical practice were observed. Last year's highlights include publication of EAACI guidelines for allergen immunotherapy, many EAACI Position Papers covering important aspects for the specialty, better understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms, identification of biomarkers for disease prediction and progress monitoring, novel prevention and intervention studies, elucidation of mechanisms of multimorbidities, introduction of new drugs to the clinics, recently completed phase three clinical studies, and publication of a large number of allergen immunotherapy studies and meta-analyses.

Impact of airflow obstruction on long-term mortality in patients with asthma in Japan

BACKGROUND

The long-term prognosis of asthma with airflow obstruction is poorly understood in Japan. The aim of this retrospective 26-year study was to investigate the long-term mortality risk of airflow obstruction in asthmatics.

METHODS

Using data from the Omuta City Air Pollution-related Health Damage Cohort Program, mortality risk ratios of airflow obstruction in Japanese Individuals were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards models. Airflow obstruction was considered to be present when the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV₁)/forced vital capacity ratio was <0.7 and FEV₁ predicted was <80% based on spirometry.

RESULTS

Among the 3146 victims with chronic respiratory diseases, 697 with adult asthma were selected. Median follow-up period was 26.3 (range 0.9-40.9) years. The airflow obstruction group (n = 193) showed significantly higher rates of mortality related to respiratory problems (risk ratio [95% confidence interval] 1.51 [1.86-1.93], P = 0.0017) and asthma attacks (1.86 [1.30-2.66], P = 0.0011) than the without airflow obstruction group (n = 504). Airflow obstruction was an independent risk factor for both respiratory-related (1.84 [1.36-2.49], P = 0.0001) and all-cause (1.44 [1.17-1.76], P = 0.0008) mortality after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and smoking status. More severe airflow obstruction was significantly associated with poorer prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

This long-term cohort program revealed the impacts of asthma with airflow obstruction as an independent mortality risk. Findings suggest that intervention and prevention of airflow obstruction can reduce long-term mortality in patients with asthma.

Conjunctivitis in dupilumab clinical trials

BACKGROUND

Dupilumab blocks the shared receptor component for interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. It is approved in the U.S.A. for patients aged ≥ 12 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) uncontrolled by topical prescription medicines or who cannot use topical medicines, for patients in Japan whose AD is uncontrolled with existing therapies, for patients with moderate-to-severe AD in Europe who are candidates for systemic therapy and for patients aged ≥ 12 years for maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma uncontrolled with their current medicines. AD trials have reported increased incidence of conjunctivitis for dupilumab vs. placebo.

OBJECTIVES

To characterize further the occurrence and risk factors of conjunctivitis in dupilumab clinical trials.

METHODS

We evaluated randomized placebo-controlled trials of dupilumab in AD (n = 2629), asthma (n = 2876), chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) (n = 60) and eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) (n = 47).

RESULTS

In most AD trials, dupilumab-treated patients had higher conjunctivitis incidence than placebo controls. Higher baseline AD severity and previous history of conjunctivitis were associated with increased conjunctivitis incidence. Conjunctivitis was mostly mild to moderate. Most cases recovered or resolved during the treatment period; two patients permanently discontinued dupilumab due to conjunctivitis or keratitis. Common treatments included ophthalmic corticosteroids, antibiotics, and antihistamines or mast cell stabilizers. Most cases were diagnosed by the investigators. In asthma and CRSwNP trials, the incidence of conjunctivitis was lower for both dupilumab and placebo than in AD trials; dupilumab did not increase the incidence compared with placebo. In the EoE trial, no patients had conjunctivitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Conjunctivitis was more frequent with dupilumab treatment in most AD trials. In dupilumab trials in other type 2 diseases, incidence of conjunctivitis was overall very low, and was similar for dupilumab and placebo. In AD, the incidence of conjunctivitis was associated with AD severity and prior history of conjunctivitis. The aetiology and treatment of conjunctivitis in dupilumab-treated patients require further study. What's already known about this topic? Ocular disorders, including allergic conjunctivitis, are common in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). In most dupilumab AD trials, dupilumab-treated patients had higher conjunctivitis incidence than those receiving placebo. Most cases were mild to moderate and recovered or were recovering during study treatment; study treatment discontinuation due to conjunctivitis was rare. Conjunctivitis incidence was very low and similar for dupilumab and placebo in clinical trials in asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and eosinophilic oesophagitis. What does this study add? This analysis confirms and extends the results of the individual clinical trials. Baseline disease-related factors, including AD severity, prior conjunctivitis history and certain biomarkers (thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, IgE, eosinophils), were associated with increased incidence of conjunctivitis. Patients who responded well to dupilumab had reduced incidence of conjunctivitis. Further study is needed to elucidate the aetiology and treatment of conjunctivitis in dupilumab-treated patients with AD.

The prevalence of asthma in adult population of southwestern Iran and its association with chronic rhinosinusitis: a GA2LEN study

Background

Asthma is recognized as a major public health concern in the world. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the prevalence of asthma by using the Global Allergy and Asthma Network of Excellence (GA²LEN) questionnaire and examine its association with chronic rhinosinusitis, in the province of Bushehr, Southwestern of Iran.

Methods

In a cross-sectional, population-based study, a total of 5420 invited individuals, aged 15–65, were selected through a multi-stage, stratified, cluster random sampling and from which 5201 completed the GA²LEN questionnaire (response rate = 95.9%). The prevalence of asthma, current, and physician-diagnosed asthma were analyzed by using sex and age groups and the association of asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) was investigated using a multiple logistic regression model.

Results

Based on the information from the GA²LEN questionnaire, the overall prevalence of asthma in the population under study was 10.0% (95% CI 9.2–10.8). Moreover, the prevalence of current asthma was 8.9% (95% CI 8.1–9.7). Further, the prevalence of current early, late-onset and physician-diagnosed asthma within the asthma group was 51.1% (95% CI 46.5–55.7), 48.9% (95% CI 44.3–53.5) and 3.9% (95% CI 2.1–2.5), respectively. Additionally, CRS was more frequent among the participants with asthma [(57.3%, OR = 2.3; 95% CI 2.1–2.5)], and there was a significant association between CRS and current, early and late-onset of asthma (P < 0.001; OR = 4.4, 3.2 and 6, respectively).

Conclusion

This large population study conducted in the southwestern part of Iran suggests that the prevalence of asthma is high. Moreover, the result of this study showed a strong association of asthma with CRS; also after adjusting for sex, age, educational level, and smoking.

Acute Severe Asthma in Adolescent and Adult Patients: Current Perspectives on Assessment and Management

Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease that is associated with variable expiratory flow, variable respiratory symptoms, and exacerbations which sometimes require hospitalization or may be fatal. It is not only patients with severe and poorly controlled asthma that are at risk for an acute severe exacerbation, but this has also been observed in patients with otherwise mild or moderate asthma. This review discusses current aspects on the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of acute severe asthma exacerbations and provides the current perspectives on the management of acute severe asthma attacks in the emergency department and the intensive care unit.

Consistent Biomarkers and Related Pathogenesis Underlying Asthma Revealed by Systems Biology Approach

Asthma is a common chronic airway disease worldwide. Due to its clinical and genetic heterogeneity, the cellular and molecular processes in asthma are highly complex and relatively unknown. To discover novel biomarkers and the molecular mechanisms underlying asthma, several studies have been conducted by focusing on gene expression patterns in epithelium through microarray analysis. However, few robust specific biomarkers were identified and some inconsistent results were observed. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct a robust analysis to solve these problems. Herein, an integrated gene expression analysis of ten independent, publicly available microarray data of bronchial epithelial cells from 348 asthmatic patients and 208 healthy controls was performed. As a result, 78 up- and 75 down-regulated genes were identified in bronchial epithelium of asthmatics. Comprehensive functional enrichment and pathway analysis revealed that response to chemical stimulus, extracellular region, pathways in cancer, and arachidonic acid metabolism were the four most significantly enriched terms. In the protein-protein interaction network, three main communities associated with cytoskeleton, response to lipid, and regulation of response to stimulus were established, and the most highly ranked 6 hub genes (up-regulated CD44, KRT6A, CEACAM5, SERPINB2, and down-regulated LTF and MUC5B) were identified and should be considered as new biomarkers. Pathway cross-talk analysis highlights that signaling pathways mediated by IL-4/13 and transcription factor HIF-1α and FOXA1 play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. Interestingly, three chemicals, polyphenol catechin, antibiotic lomefloxacin, and natural alkaloid boldine, were predicted and may be potential drugs for asthma treatment. Taken together, our findings shed new light on the common molecular pathogenesis mechanisms of asthma and provide theoretical support for further clinical therapeutic studies.

Asthma deaths in North Carolina: 1999-2016

Introduction: Despite the significant decline in overall death rates in the U.S. over the past decade, many asthma deaths could have been avoided. Eastern North Carolina (N.C.) is an economically challenged region with significant health disparities and a high prevalence of asthma. Objective: The primary purpose of this project was to examine trends of asthma deaths across N.C. and identify counties in the state with the highest mortality rates over an 18-year period. Methods: CDC WONDER was used to query and evaluate age-adjusted asthma mortality rates from 1999 to 2016 among residents in N.C., greater than 1 year of age. Asthma death data were derived from death certificates using ICD-10 underlying cause-of-death codes J45 (asthma) and J46 (status asthmaticus). The Join point regression program was used to test statistical significance in age-adjusted rates for the U.S. and N.C. over the entire study period. Results: N.C. experienced a total of 2,066 decedents assigned as the underlying cause of deaths for an overall death rate of 12.5 per 1,000,000 persons. Death rates were highest among females (14.6 deaths per 1,000,000) and black or African Americans (24.7 per 1,000,000). Discussion: Overall asthma mortality rates in N.C. decreased. However, several rural and impoverished counties in eastern N.C. with a large percent of blacks or African-Americans, had the highest asthma death rates in the state. Conclusion: Healthcare providers should remain highly cognizant to provide optimal asthma management, education, and follow-up with asthma patients to help avoid unnecessary asthma related deaths.

The Burden of Severe Asthma in France: A Case-Control Study Using a Medical Claims Database

BACKGROUND

Severe asthma (SA) is defined by treatment intensity. The availability of national databases allows accurate estimation of the prevalence, long-term outcomes, and costs of SA.

OBJECTIVE

To provide accurate information on SA, focusing on comorbidities, mortality, health care resource consumption, and associated costs.

METHODS

A cohort of patients with SA identified in 2012 was extracted from a French representative claims database and followed for 3 years. Their characteristics, comorbidities, mortality, and direct costs were compared with a matched control group without asthma.

RESULTS

A total of 690 patients with SA were matched to 2070 patients without asthma (mean age, 61 years; 65.7% women). The prevalence of SA was estimated to be 0.18% to 0.51% of the French adult population. Comorbidities were more frequent in patients with SA (73.9% suffered from cardiovascular disease vs 54.3% in controls; P < .001). A total of 58.7% of patients with SA used oral corticosteroids (OCS) in 2012 with a mean intake of 3.3 boxes/year/patient and 9% received ≥6 dispensings of OCS. A total of 6.7% were treated by omalizumab. Patients with SA were more frequently hospitalized (33.2% vs 19.7%; P < .001), more frequently consulted a general practitioner (97.8% vs 83.9%; P < .001) (9.8 ± 6.8 vs 6.2 ± 5.3 consultations/year; P < .001), and 31% have consulted a private respiratory physician. Compared with controls, 3-year cumulative mortality was higher in SA (7.1% vs 4.5%; P = .007). Direct medical cost was $9227 versus $3950 (P < .001) mostly driven by medication costs.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of SA in the French adult population is at least 18 of 10,000. Burden of disease is high with respect to comorbidities, mortality, and asthma-related health care resource use.