Publications by authors named "Jussi Karjalainen"

Diagnosis of asthma can be confirmed based on variability in peak expiratory flow (PEF) or changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) measured with spirometry. Our aim was to use methacholine challenge as a model of induced airway obstruction to assess how well relative changes in PEF reflect airway obstruction in comparison to relative changes in FEV. We retrospectively studied 878 patients who completed a methacholine challenge test.

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Article Synopsis
  • Salbutamol is a key medication for treating acute asthma symptoms, typically delivered via a metered-dose inhaler, while dry powder inhalers (DPIs) like Salbutamol Easyhaler are being studied for effectiveness in bronchoconstriction.
  • This trial involved 180 participants who experienced significant asthma symptoms after a methacholine challenge, comparing Salbutamol Easyhaler with the standard pMDI with spacer and Budesonide-formoterol Easyhaler.
  • Results showed that Salbutamol Easyhaler is just as effective as the pMDI with spacer for relieving bronchoconstriction, suggesting it is a reliable and safe option for asthma attacks.
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  • The study aimed to understand how outdoor air conditions, particularly absolute humidity (AH), impact exercise tests used to diagnose asthma in children aged 6-16 years.
  • Results showed that 57% of the children were diagnosed with asthma, with high AH levels correlating with increased incidence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and decreased forced expiratory volume (FEV), while relative humidity and temperature did not have significant effects.
  • The findings suggest that high absolute humidity can influence both the occurrence and severity of EIB during exercise tests, indicating a need for careful interpretation of test results under such conditions.
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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 ( = 1970) participated in a questionnaire study in 1997.

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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.

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Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common diseases mostly treated in primary care. However, the usage patterns of drugs for obstructive airway diseases (R03 drugs) at the national level are not known.

Objective: The aims of this study were to describe (1) for which diagnoses each class of R03 drugs were used, (2) the usage pattern of different drug classes for asthma and COPD, and (3) how often these medications were used without a diagnosis of asthma or COPD in Finland.

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Decrease in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV ) of 10% or 15% in exercise challenge test is considered diagnostic for asthma, but a decrease of 15% in peak expiratory flow (PEF) is recommended as an alternative. Our aim was to assess the accuracy of different PEF cut-off points in comparison to FEV . We retrospectively studied 326 free running exercise challenge tests with spirometry in children 6-16 years old.

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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.

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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.

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Background: Cross-country skiers train and compete during the winter for long periods of time in subfreezing conditions, which strains the airways and provokes respiratory symptoms. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of exercise-related symptoms and prolonged cough in competitive cross-country skiers versus the general population and to investigate the association between these symptoms and asthma.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to Finnish cross-country skiers (n=1282) and a random sample of the general population (n=1754), with response rates of 26.

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Acute respiratory infections (ARinf) are one of the leading causes that prevent athletes from training and competing. The aim of this study was to investigate the burden of ARinfs during one season among cross-country skiers. All Finnish cross-country skiers enrolled in the largest national competitions in winter 2019 ( = 1282) were sent a postal questionnaire.

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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.

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The mechanisms of health effects of moisture damage (MD) are unclear, but inflammatory responses have been suspected. The usefulness of laboratory and allergy tests among patients in secondary healthcare with symptoms associated with workplace MD were examined. Full blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and skin prick testing were assessed and analyzed in relation to multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and perceived stress in 99 patients and 48 controls.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on the prevalence and management of severe asthma using nationwide data from Sweden, Norway, and Finland, highlighting limited real-life evidence on the condition.
  • Researchers utilized the Nordic Dataset for Asthma Research (NORDSTAR) to identify severe asthma cases in adults and children, finding prevalence rates across the countries in 2018.
  • Results revealed that while severe asthma was relatively rare in children, a significant number of patients, especially adults, were not managed by respiratory specialists, indicating a need for better awareness and management in primary care settings.
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We previously reported a decreasing incidence of paediatric asthma hospitalisations in Finland, but a rather stable trend in Sweden, between 2005 and 2014. We now aimed to investigate the incidence of paediatric asthma hospitalisations in these countries between 2015 and 2020, using Finland's National Hospital Discharge Register and Sweden's National Patient Register, which cover all hospitalisations in the respective countries. From 2015 to 2019, the incidence of paediatric asthma hospitalisations decreased by 36.

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Background: Long-term exposure to air pollution is connected to asthma morbidity in children. Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is common in asthma, and the free running test outdoors is an important method for diagnosing asthma in children. It is not known whether momentary air pollution exposure affects the results of outdoor exercise tests in children.

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Background: Asthma program in Finland decreased asthma-related mortality and expenses of care on national level, but there is lack of data on adherence to treatment guidelines and disease control on individual level. We aimed to assess adherence to guidelines and disease control among Finnish adult asthmatics.

Methods: Questionnaires were sent in Finland to 2000 randomly selected recipients aged 18-80 years, who had bought medication for obstructive airways disease during the previous 12 months.

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Background: Sensitization to Ara h 2 has been proposed as a promising biological marker for the severity of peanut allergy and may reduce the need for oral food challenges. This study aimed to evaluate whether peanut oral food challenge is still a useful diagnostic tool for children with suspected peanut allergy and an elevated level of Ara h 2-specific IgE. Additionally, we assessed whether well-controlled asthma is an additional risk for severe reactions.

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Background: Cross-country skiers have a high prevalence of asthma, but its phenotypes and association with success in competitions are not known.

Objective: To investigate, by means of a postal survey, the relative proportions of allergic and non-allergic asthma in competitive cross-country skiers compared with the general population, to study how performance level and training volume are related to asthma and its type and to assess the possible risk factors for allergic and non-allergic asthma in competitive skiers.

Methods: All Finnish cross-country skiers enrolled in the largest national competitions in winter 2019 (n=1282), and a random sample (n=1754) of the general population of the same age were sent a postal questionnaire.

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Background: Short-term studies have associated high use of short-acting β-agonists (SABA) with increased risk of exacerbations, emergency visits, and asthma-related costs. However, no studies exist on long-term SABA use, and previous studies on the topic have not included information about adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) nor disease control, both affecting the need of SABA.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of SABA and ICS usage in newly diagnosed adult-onset asthma patients during a 12-year follow-up period.

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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.

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