Background: In Australia, the regional prevalence of difficult-to-treat asthma is unknown. We aimed to describe regional variation in difficult-to-treat asthma prevalence and oral corticosteroid (OCS) use.
Methods: In this retrospective, observational, longitudinal study using data from March 2018-February 2019 in the NostraData longitudinal database, prescriptions dispensed for obstructive airway disease were processed through a high-level algorithm to identify patients with asthma. Difficult-to-treat asthma was defined by ≥2 high-dosage inhaled corticosteroids plus long-acting beta-agonist prescriptions over 6 months. Patients who additionally received OCS prescriptions sufficient to treat ≥2 exacerbations over 6 months were classified as having uncontrolled difficult-to-treat asthma. Patient-level data were analyzed across 340 geographic areas in Australia to determine regional prevalence of difficult-to-treat asthma, uncontrolled difficult-to-treat asthma, and OCS use.
Results: Of 1 851 129 people defined as having asthma, 440 800 (24%) were classified as having difficult-to-treat disease. Of those difficult-to-treat asthma patients, 96 338 (22%) were considered to have uncontrolled disease. Between 29% and 48% of patients had difficult-to-treat asthma in 49 geographic areas, most frequently located in Western Australia. Between 26% and 67% of patients had uncontrolled difficult-to-treat asthma in 29 geographic areas (mostly in Eastern Australia). Overall, a wide variability of asthma severity and control was observed among regions.
Conclusions: Despite global and national guidelines, regional differences in the prevalence of difficult-to-treat asthma and uncontrolled difficult-to-treat asthma and OCS use exist in Australia. Understanding these regional variations should inform policy and target management in the areas with the greatest unmet need.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02770903.2022.2093217 | DOI Listing |
Rhinology
December 2024
Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Background: Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM) is a recently recognised type 2 inflammatory disease, strongly associated with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Known as a difficult-to-treat condition, EOM is often refractory to traditional therapies for (chronic) otitis media. This review aims to assess the success rates of the different interventions for patients with EOM including newly available biological therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Allergy
November 2024
IAPA 's Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Ismael Cosío Villegas, Ciudad de México, México.
It has been estimated that Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (N-ERD) previously named as Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (A-ERD) affects around 1.4 million persons in the United States. Its prevalence in asthmatic patients has widely been underestimated, as a considerable number of patients would need an aspirin provocation test to confirm the diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbioRxiv
November 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonary, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Chronic bacterial infections are often polymicrobial, comprising multiple bacterial species or variants of the same species. Because chronic infections may last for decades, they have the potential to generate high levels of intraspecific variation through within-host diversification over time, and the potential for superinfections to occur through the introduction of multiple pathogen populations to the ongoing infection. Traditional methods for identifying infective agents generally involve isolating one single colony from a given sample, usually after selecting for a specific pathogen or antibiotic resistance profile.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere asthma in children is notoriously difficult to treat, and its immunopathogenesis is complex. In particular, the contribution of T cells and relationships to anti-viral immunity, remain enigmatic. Here, we coupled deep phenotyping with machine learning methods to resolve the dynamics of T cells in the diseased lower airways, and examined rhinovirus (RV) as a driver.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFERJ Open Res
November 2024
Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals Medical, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Background: Persistent airflow obstruction (PAO) in patients with asthma can be difficult to treat. Tezepelumab blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin, an epithelial cytokine implicated in asthma pathogenesis. This analysis evaluated the efficacy of tezepelumab in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma and PAO.
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