José Luis Álvarez-Sala Walther

Factors Associated With the Control of Severe Asthma

Introduction. Control is a priority treatment objective in asthma, and classification based on control is recommended in the follow-up of asthmatic patients. Different factors affect this control, and there are several regional differences, both in terms of prevalence and in terms of management and degree of control. Objective. To evaluate the factors associated with control of severe asthma in routine clinical practice. Material and Methods. This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study of patients with severe asthma who were receiving treatment with a fixed combination of a corticosteroid (at least 800 μg/day of budesonide or equivalent) and an inhaled β2-adrenergic agonist in respiratory medicine and allergology clinics throughout Spain. The authors collected demographic and socioeconomic data, as well as clinical data on asthma. The patients also completed a self-administered validated questionnaire—the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)—about the control of their asthma. Results. The authors included 1471 patients, of whom 1224 (83%) were valid for the final analysis. Women accounted for 61%. Mean age was 51 ± 16 years. The mean number of exacerbations during the previous year was 2.0 ± 2.0. The global score on the ACQ was 1.8 ± 1.1 (0 = no symptoms; 6 = maximum number of symptoms). Only 20.4% of patients were well controlled (ACQ < 0.75), and 55.7% of patients were poorly controlled (ACQ > 1.5). The multivariate analysis revealed that the variable with the greatest effect on control of asthma was the number of exacerbations during the previous year: when the number of exacerbations increased from 0 to 1 or more, the ACQ score increased by 0.56 points. Employed patients had a mean of 0.23 points less (better control) than unemployed and retired patients. Control of asthma was also significantly affected by adherence to treatment, patient knowledge of the disease, body mass index, gender, and number of visits to a physician in the previous 3 months. Conclusions. Many patients with severe asthma have poor control of their disease. The number of exacerbations is the variable with the greatest effect on control of asthma. Knowledge of the disease and adherence to treatment are associated with better control.

EPOC en individuos no fumadores

The association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and smoking is well established. However, an increasing number of studies have reported a not inconsiderable prevalence of COPD among nonsmokers. Therefore, other factors, both endogenous and exogenous, may influence the development of this disease. The present article reviews the influence of possible genetic factors, gender and other respiratory diseases (such as chronic asthma and tuberculosis), as well as environmental pollution and occupational exposure in the development of COPD.

Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica en archivos de bronconeumología en el año 2010

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be a disease of special importance due to its great social impact arising from its high prevalence, its high morbidity and mortality and the high health costs it incurs. This has led to a great number of articles on different aspects associated with COPD each year. There is increasingly greater emphasis made of the systemic repercussions of the diseases and its comorbidity. In that same sense, tools are being sought to be able to make a more accurate prognosis of the diseases and assess other different aspects of lung function. Some standards on the quality of healthcare in COPD have also been published during this year, as well as some recommendations of the care of these patients in the advanced phase. An attempt is made in this article to summarise the more outstanding COPD articles published in Archivos de Bronconeumologia during the past year.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be a disease of special importance due to its great social impact arising from its high prevalence, its high morbidity and mortality and the high health costs it incurs. This has led to a great number of articles on different aspects associated with COPD each year. There is increasingly greater emphasis made of the systemic repercussions of the diseases and its comorbidity. In that same sense, tools are being sought to be able to make a more accurate prognosis of the diseases and assess other different aspects of lung function. Some standards on the quality of healthcare in COPD have also been published during this year, as well as some recommendations of the care of these patients in the advanced phase. An attempt is made in this article to summarise the more outstanding COPD articles published in Archivos de Bronconeumología during the past year.