Background: Asthmatic death in the elderly is a serious problem worldwide. Differences in clinical skill between respiratory specialists (RS) and general practitioners (GP) are important in asthma control. The aim of this study was to compare asthma management between RS and GP.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Shimane, Japan, in February 2009 using a questionnaire about patient background, treatment, asthma control test (ACT) and adherence to treatment. We secured the cooperation of 48 clinics (39 private clinics and 9 general hospitals). Asthmatics were divided into the elderly and young groups, and also into the RS and GP groups.
Results: Clinical data of 779 patients were available for analysis. Elderly patients constituted 464 (RS group: 192, GP group: 272), while those of the young group were 315 (RS group: 207, GP group: 108). RS prescribed inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) to their elderly and young patients more than GP. The total ACT score was higher in young RS group than in young GP group, but no such difference was noted in the elderly. Despite more asthma-related symptoms, the ACT showed that elderly GP asthmatics used fewer rescue inhalers than elderly RS. Self-assessment was higher in elderly GP than elderly RS asthmatics. Adherence to therapy was better in elderly patients than young patients.
Conclusions: Elderly asthmatics treated by GPs underestimated the severity of their asthma and asthmatics seen by GPs were undertreated. The results stress the need to engage patients in educational activities, to adhere to guidelines, and to improve the coordination between GP and RS.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02770903.2014.928311 | DOI Listing |
J Asthma
January 2025
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Caregivers of children with asthma can become overwhelmed by the burden of care provision. Guided by the socioecological framework, we examined individual and system-level factors associated with caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among preschool children (aged two to six years) enrolled in a multilevel home- and school-based asthma educational intervention in Baltimore, Maryland. Primary outcome was caregiver HRQoL measured at baseline and six months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulm Ther
January 2025
US Medical Affairs, GSK, ATC Fowler Building, 410 Blackwell Street, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
Introduction: Escalation to single- or multiple-inhaler triple therapy (SITT; MITT) is a recommended option for patients with asthma who remain uncontrolled by medium-dose inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β-agonist; however, characterization of elderly users of triple therapy is limited. This real-world cohort study describes demographics and clinical characteristics of elderly patients with asthma with and without comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are new users of triple therapy, and asthma treatment patterns preceding triple therapy initiation.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study used administrative claims data from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart database.
Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis
January 2025
School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Purpose: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are recommended for the treatment of exacerbations in people with COPD; however, high cumulative lifetime doses (≥1000mg prednisolone-equivalent) are associated with adverse health effects. This issue is well defined in asthma but is less well understood in COPD. The aim of this study was to examine cumulative OCS dispensed to people with COPD over 12 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect
January 2025
Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Naples Comprehensive Health, Naples, FL, USA.
is a gram-positive bacterium commonly found in dairy products and used as a probiotic due to its resistance to acid and bile. While generally considered safe, rare cases of bacteremia and endocarditis have been reported, primarily in individuals with significant risk factors. This report discusses an elderly male with a history of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and asthma, who developed bacteremia and endocarditis after consuming large quantities of Greek yogurt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatient Prefer Adherence
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, 45363, Indonesia.
Background: Chronic disease has become an increasing burden in Indonesia, increasing the importance of treatment adherence to control the disease prognosis. Therefore, we aim to determine the prevalence and characteristics of nonadherence in Indonesian chronic disease population.
Methods: We identified 11,408 adult subjects with chronic diseases from the fifth Indonesian Family Life Survey.
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