Is asthma in the elderly different? Functional and clinical characteristics of asthma in individuals aged 65 years and older.

Background: The prevalence of chronic diseases in the elderly (> 65 years), including asthma, is growing, yet information available on asthma in this population is scarce.Our objective is to determine the differential clinical and functional characteristics of the population > 65 years old with asthma included in the Integrated Research Programs of Asthma Databank of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (www.bancodatosasma.

A Simple Score for Future Risk Prediction in Patients with Controlled Asthma Who Undergo a Guidelines-Based Step-Down Strategy.

Background: The minimum controlling dose of treatment must be established in patients with asthma, but the outcome of step-down is unpredictable.

Objective: To identify factors associated with risk of control loss when stepping down asthma treatment and to develop a score to predict this risk.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter study including adults with well-controlled asthma was performed.

Duration of the efficacy of omalizumab after treatment discontinuation in 'real life' severe asthma.

Efficacy of omalizumab in severe asthma is well documented; however, the optimal duration of the treatment remains unclear. In an open prospective study, we sought to assess the persistence of response in subjects withdrawing from omalizumab treatment. We evaluated 49 patients who voluntarily accepted to discontinue omalizumab treatment after 6 years of therapy.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Omalizumab for the Treatment of Severe Persistent Asthma in Real Clinical Practice in Spain.

Background And Objective: Omalizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets circulating immunoglobulin E molecules to treat severe uncontrolled asthma. The aim of this study was to determine the cost effectiveness of omalizumab compared with standard treatment for the control of severe persistent asthma according to data from patients treated in a specialized asthma unit.

Methods: This was an observational, retrospective, single-center study in the setting of the Pulmonology and Respiratory Allergy Service, Thorax Institute, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Novel diagnostic approaches and biological therapeutics for intrinsic asthma.

Intrinsic asthma has been considered as a specific disease entity for a long time, although many controversies have emerged in relation to this concept. Of note, not finding specific allergen sensitization in an asthmatic patient neither excludes an allergic component nor the essential role that immunoglobulin E may play in asthma. The diagnostic approach should be similar in any patient suspected to have asthma.

Factors associated with severe uncontrolled asthma and the perception of control by physicians and patients.

Introduction: Despite current treatments, more than half of patients with asthma are not controlled. The objective was to evaluate the correlation between control perceived by patients and physicians, compared with control evaluated according to criteria of the Spanish Guidelines for Asthma Management (GEMA), and to investigate the factors associated with that control.

Methods: Multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study including 343 patients with severe persistent asthma according to GEMA criteria seen in the Department of Pulmonology and Allergology.

Effects of omalizumab in non-atopic asthma: results from a Spanish multicenter registry.

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of omalizumab in non-atopic asthma. Methods.

Omalizumab therapy in severe asthma: experience from the Spanish registry--some new approaches.

Objective: The efficacy of omalizumab in severe asthma has been widely demonstrated. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of omalizumab in a real-life setting in Spain, particularly in those patients with immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels out of range.

Methods: Totally 266 uncontrolled severe asthma patients receiving high-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) plus long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) were recruited.

[Triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of corticosteroid-resistant asthma: risks and benefits].

Few therapeutic alternatives to prednisone are available for severe, corticosteroid-resistant asthma. Injectable triamcinolone acetonide (TA) has been used in this type of asthma, although its use is controversial. TA shows considerable efficacy when compared with prednisone according to nearly all studies, although the majority do not provide a high level of evidence.