Monica Fletcher

Asthma control and management in 8,000 European patients: the REcognise Asthma and LInk to Symptoms and Experience (REALISE) survey.

Background:Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, and previous studies have reported low levels of control. Recent developments in the availability and use of online sources of information about asthma might add to patients’ knowledge and help improve control.Aims:To investigate whether asthma control has improved by assessing levels of symptoms, exacerbations and Global Initiative for Asthma-defined control in a real-life population of patients who use the Internet and social media, as well as evaluate patient perception of control and attitudes to asthma.Methods:Online surveys were conducted among 8,000 patients with asthma (aged 18–50 years, ⩾2 prescriptions in the previous 2 years, use of social media) from 11 European countries.Results:Levels of asthma control were low: 45% of respondents had uncontrolled asthma. Acute exacerbations were common: 44% of respondents reported having used oral steroids for asthma in the previous 12 months, 24% had visited an emergency department and 12% had been hospitalised. More than 80% of respondents (overall, and among those with a history of exacerbations) considered their asthma to be controlled. Of those who had an exacerbation requiring oral steroids, 75% regarded their asthma as not serious.Conclusions:Asthma control in Europe remains poor; symptoms and exacerbations are common. Many patients regard their asthma as controlled and not serious despite experiencing symptoms and exacerbations. There is a need to assess patients’ control, risk and inhaler technique, and to ensure that patients are prescribed, and take, appropriate treatments.

Ethnic variations in UK asthma frequency, morbidity, and health-service use: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND The frequency of asthma varies between countries, and may also vary between ethnic groups in more geographically confined areas. We sought evidence of such ethnic variations in the UK for asthma frequency, morbidity, and health-services use, and to understand possible reasons for any differences. METHODS We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCHInfo, PREMEDLINE, HEALTHSTAR, Cambridge Register of Conference Abstracts, the Dissertation and Thesis Database, and the National Registry of Research. Additionally, we searched the bibliographies of reports identified and websites of health authorities, and contacted experts in this discipline. Our main outcomes were comparisons of asthma rate, morbidity, and health-services use. We did meta-analyses using random-effects models. FINDINGS 13 studies contained relevant data. All prevalence studies were of children and showed that south Asian children had a lower frequency of symptoms suggestive of asthma compared with black and white children (pooled rate of history of wheeze in the previous 12 months: south Asians 9.6% [95%CI 8.0-11.2%], black people 16.2% [12.8-19.6%], white people 14.6% [11.5-17.8%]). The pooled frequency of clinician-diagnosed asthma in children followed a similar pattern (south Asians 7.6% [3.7-11.4%], black people 15.0% [3.5-26.5%], white people 10.6% [4.6-16.7%]. However, relative to white people, the risk of admission for asthma in children and adults was higher for south Asians (odds ratio 2.9 [2.4-3.4]) and black people (2.1 [1.8-2.5]). INTERPRETATION The differences in admission are not explained by differences in asthma frequency between groups; they could relate to ethnic variations in asthma severity, differences in health-seeking behaviour, or difficulties in accessing high-quality primary care services.

An official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement: research questions in COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and resource use worldwide. The goal of this official American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Research Statement is to describe evidence related to diagnosis, assessment, and management; identify gaps in knowledge; and make recommendations for future research. It is not intended to provide clinical practice recommendations on COPD diagnosis and management. Clinicians, researchers and patient advocates with expertise in COPD were invited to participate. A literature search of Medline was performed, and studies deemed relevant were selected. The search was not a systematic review of the evidence. Existing evidence was appraised and summarised, and then salient knowledge gaps were identified. Recommendations for research that addresses important gaps in the evidence in all areas of COPD were formulated via discussion and consensus. Great strides have been made in the diagnosis, assessment and management of COPD, as well as understanding its pathogenesis. Despite this, many important questions remain unanswered. This ATS/ERS research statement highlights the types of research that leading clinicians, researchers and patient advocates believe will have the greatest impact on patient-centred outcomes. ATS/ERS statement highlighting research areas that will have the greatest impact on patient-centred outcomes in COPD http://ow.ly/LXW2J

COPD uncovered: an international survey on the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] on a working age population

BackgroundApproximately 210 million people are estimated to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] worldwide. The burden of disease is known to be high, though less is known about those of a younger age. The aim of this study was to investigate the wider personal, economic and societal burden of COPD on a cross country working-age cohort.MethodsA cross-country [Brazil, China, Germany, Turkey, US, UK] cross-sectional survey methodology was utilised to answer the research questions. 2426 participants aged 45-67 recruited via a number of recruitment methods specific to each country completed the full survey. Inclusion criteria were a recalled physician diagnosis of COPD, a smoking history of > 10 pack years and the use of COPD medications in the previous 3 months prior to questioning. The survey included items from the validated Work Productivity and Activity Impairment [WPAI] scale and the EuroQoL 5 Dimension [EQ-5D] scale. Disease severity was measured using the 5-point MRC [Medical Research Council] dyspnoea scale as a surrogate measure.Results64% had either moderate [n = 1012] or severe [n = 521] COPD, although this varied by country. 75% of the cohort reported at least one comorbid condition. Quality of life declined with severity of illness [mild, mean EQ-5D score = 0.84; moderate 0.58; severe 0.41]. The annual cost of healthcare utilisation [excluding treatment costs and diagnostic tests] per individual was estimated to be

An Official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Statement: Research questions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

2,364 [£1,500]. For those remaining in active employment [n: 677]: lost time from work cost the individual an average of

An official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement: research questions in COPD.

880 [£556] per annum and lifetime losses of

Statement on smoking cessation in COPD and other pulmonary diseases and in smokers with comorbidities who find it difficult to quit

7,365 [£4,661] amounting to

Expanding nurse practice in COPD: is it key to providing high quality, effective and safe patient care?

596,000 [£377,000] for the cohort. 447 [~40%] of the working population had retired prematurely because of COPD incurring individual estimated lifetime income losses of

Standardized training for healthcare professionals and its impact on patients with perennial rhinitis: a multi-centre randomized controlled trial

316,000 [£200,000] or a combined total of

Consideration of Shared Decision Making in Nursing: A Review of Clinicians' Perceptions and Interventions

141 m [£89.6 m]. As the mean age of retirees was 58.3 and average time since retirement was 4 years, this suggests the average age of retirement is around 54. This would mean a high societal and economic impact in all study countries, particularly where typical state retirement ages are higher, for example in Brazil, Germany and the UK [65] and the US [65,66,67], compared to Turkey [58 for women, 60 for men] and China [60].ConclusionsAlthough generalisation across a broader COPD population is limited due to the varied participant recruitment methods, these data nevertheless suggest that COPD has significant personal, economic and societal burden on working age people. Further efforts to improve COPD diagnosis and management are required.