The use of short-acting bronchodilators and cost burden of asthma across Global Initiative for Asthma-based severity levels: Insights from a large US commercial and managed Medicaid population.

Despite the availability of effective treatments, patients with asthma, regardless of severity, remain at risk of severe exacerbations resulting in significant burden to patients, the health care system, and insurance providers. To examine severe exacerbations, treatment patterns, health care resource utilization (HCRU), and costs across all asthma severities. In this retrospective study, patients aged 4 years and older filling 1 short-acting (β-agonist (SABA) and at least 1 maintenance fill or at least 2 SABAs with or without maintenance fills were identified from administrative claims data from the IBM MarketScan Commercial and IBM MarketScan Multistate Medicaid Research databases (January 2010 to December 2017).

Can PPSV-23 Vaccine Impact Exacerbations of Chronic Cough Symptoms and Medication Use in Younger Adult Asthmatics? A Clinical Question That Needs Answering.

Symptoms of chronic cough (CC) from the airways are commonly treated with antibiotics, antitussives, bronchodilators, and steroids. There is a wide variability in treatment response, dependent on the exact cough etiology. Our case-series study was composed of 71 nonsmoking adults, 59 females, mean age 43 (±21) years, with a history of CC-asthma and history of ≥2 exacerbations/year requiring systemic steroids and/or antibiotics.

Demographics, Treatment Patterns, and Morbidity in Patients with Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction: An Administrative Claims Data Analysis.

Purpose: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is generally treated with short-acting β-agonists (SABA) before exercising, to prevent symptoms. Real-world data on treatments and outcomes for patients with EIB alone (EIB), or with asthma (EIB), in the USA are limited. This study compared demographics, treatment patterns, morbidity, and costs of treating EIB between these two groups of patients.

Real-world patterns and implications of short-acting β-agonist use in patients with asthma in the United States.

Background: Short-acting β-agonist (SABA) use is one measure reflecting asthma control.

Objective: To evaluate the associations between real-world SABA use and severe asthma exacerbations in the United States.

Methods: Patients with asthma 12 years of age or older receiving SABA in the IBM MarketScan research databases of US administrative claims from September 30, 2014, to September 30, 2016, were evaluated.

Impact of pneumococcal vaccine response on asthma exacerbation frequency in young children.

Introduction: Chronic asthma is a heterogeneous disease, and increased eosinophils have been shown to predict increased asthma exacerbations, especially in adults. Recent recommendations suggest the need for supplemental PPV-23 vaccination in older children with chronic asthma.

Methods: To investigate differences in preschool asthma, our case-cohort study comprised of 127 children, mean age 47 months (32-65), with a history of asthma exacerbations requiring more than three courses of systemic steroid bursts and more than six antibiotics courses in the previous year.

Healthcare resource utilization, expenditures, and productivity in patients with asthma with and without allergies.

To compare healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), healthcare expenditures, and work productivity and activity impairment within a general asthma population with persistent asthma and evidence of allergy (PA-EA) and persistent asthma with no evidence of allergy (PA-NEA). We conducted a retrospective analysis of survey responses and claims from the Observational Study of Asthma Control and Outcomes (OSACO) study. Eligible patients with persistent asthma aged ≥12 years were sent four surveys over 15 months.

Medication use and indicators of poor asthma control in patients with and without allergies.

Approximately two-thirds of people with asthma have some evidence of allergy; their condition differs from nonallergic asthma in terms of predominant symptoms and clinical outcomes. To compare asthma control and medication use among patients with persistent asthma with evidence of allergy (PA-EA) and patients with persistent asthma with no evidence of allergy (PA-NEA). A retrospective analysis of survey responses and medication claims data from the Observational Study of Asthma Control and Outcomes study, a prospective survey linked to retrospective claims-based analysis of patients ages ≥ 12 years with persistent asthma in a U.

Can early intervention in pediatric asthma improve long-term outcomes? A question that needs an answer.

Objective: Although many children with asthma do not experience persistence into adulthood, recent studies have suggested that poorly controlled asthma in childhood may be associated with significant airflow obstruction in adulthood. However, data regarding disease progression are lacking, and clinicians are not yet able to predict the course of a child's asthma. The goal of this article was to assess the current understanding of childhood asthma treatment and progression and to highlight gaps in information that remain.

Efficacy and safety of budesonide/formoterol pMDI vs budesonide pMDI in asthmatic children (6-<12 years).

Background: The efficacy and safety of budesonide/formoterol pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) have been demonstrated in patients with asthma at least 12 years old.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of 2 formoterol doses added to budesonide as fixed combinations vs budesonide alone in children 6 to younger than 12 years with asthma.

Methods: This randomized, double-blinded, parallel-group, multicenter study (NCT02091986; CHASE 3) included children 6 to younger than 12 years with asthma previously receiving a medium-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) or an ICS plus a long-acting β-agonist.

Nasal nitric oxide and nasal eosinophils decrease with levocetirizine in subjects with perennial allergic rhinitis.

Background: Allergic rhinitis is commonly treated with antihistamines. Monitoring improvement of airway inflammation noninvasively using nasal nitric oxide (nNO) would be clinically useful. To determine the anti-inflammatory effect of oral levocetirizine dihydrochloride (LC), we measured nNO and nasal eosinophils (nEos) in perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) subjects.