Bailey W C, Richards J M, Manzella B A, Brooks C M, Windsor R A, Soong S J
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Chest. 1990 Oct;98(4):821-8. doi: 10.1378/chest.98.4.821.
To contribute more comprehensive information about the characteristics of asthma, this article analyzed patients served by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Asthma Program. Their physicians rated one fifth of these patients as having "severe" asthma with the remainder about equally divided between "moderate" and "mild". One in two first received a diagnosis of asthma ten or more years previously. Common comorbidities were hypertension, obesity, rhinitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, and arthritis. One half had visited an emergency room or been hospitalized for asthma in the past year. Inhaled bronchodilators and continuous theophylline were the most commonly prescribed medications. Side effects, especially tachycardia and insomnia, were common and almost exclusively associated with theophylline or corticosteroid therapy. Spirometric assessment showed chronic airflow obstruction in those with more severe asthma. Prevalence of respiratory symptoms, intensity of medication regimen, incidence of side effects, and health care utilization increased as asthma severity increased.
为了提供更多关于哮喘特征的全面信息，本文分析了阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校综合哮喘项目所服务的患者。他们的医生将五分之一的患者评定为患有“重度”哮喘，其余患者在“中度”和“轻度”之间大致平均分布。二分之一的患者首次被诊断出哮喘是在十年或更早之前。常见的合并症有高血压、肥胖、鼻炎、支气管炎、鼻窦炎和关节炎。一半患者在过去一年因哮喘去过急诊室或住院治疗。吸入性支气管扩张剂和持续使用的茶碱是最常用的处方药。副作用，尤其是心动过速和失眠，很常见，并且几乎都与茶碱或皮质类固醇治疗有关。肺功能测定评估显示，哮喘较严重的患者存在慢性气流受限。随着哮喘严重程度的增加，呼吸道症状的患病率、药物治疗方案的强度、副作用的发生率以及医疗保健利用率均有所上升。
