Department of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Expert Rev Respir Med. 2022 Nov-Dec;16(11-12):1263-1272. doi: 10.1080/17476348.2023.2167714. Epub 2023 Jan 18.
Asthma exacerbations and, more rarely, fatal asthma attacks have been reported in mild asthma patients, suggesting poor disease control and awareness of its potential burden. Our study aimed to explore outside the hospital/specialist setting the perspective and disease treatment behavior of patients self-reporting a mild asthma diagnosis.
Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) technique was used to investigate the identified study population. Questions about diagnosis, symptoms, comorbidities, treatment strategy, ongoing assessments, and quality of life were administered.
Overall, 258 patients were considered for the analysis. As the most relevant results, 22% of them reported severe respiratory symptoms, 52% experienced at least one exacerbation/year, and 7% needed Emergency Room care. Sixty-six percent of the respondents assumed as needing short-acting bronchodilators only. Of note, 22% of patients were using oral steroids (OCS) intermittently and 72% of them considered their quality of life unsatisfying.
Outside the hospital/specialist setting, mild asthma burden is still not negligible and the treatment approach is not correct. In particular, the reported OCS use is disproportionate. Our data suggest that mild asthma, especially when self-assessed might be other than mild, suggesting that efforts to increase disease awareness, improve the disease control limiting the OCS abuse are required.
在轻度哮喘患者中，已报告哮喘加重，更罕见的是致命性哮喘发作，这表明疾病控制不佳且对其潜在负担认识不足。我们的研究旨在探索在院外/专科环境之外，自我报告轻度哮喘诊断的患者的观点和疾病治疗行为。
采用计算机辅助个人访谈（CAPI）技术对确定的研究人群进行调查。询问诊断、症状、合并症、治疗策略、持续评估和生活质量等问题。
总体而言，对 258 名患者进行了分析。作为最相关的结果，其中 22%的患者报告有严重的呼吸道症状，52%的患者每年至少经历一次加重，7%的患者需要急诊治疗。66%的受访者认为仅需要短效支气管扩张剂。值得注意的是，22%的患者间歇性使用口服皮质类固醇（OCS），72%的患者认为他们的生活质量不满意。
在院外/专科环境之外，轻度哮喘的负担仍然不可忽视，治疗方法也不正确。特别是报告的 OCS 使用不成比例。我们的数据表明，轻度哮喘，尤其是自我评估的轻度哮喘，可能并非真正的轻度，这表明需要努力提高疾病意识，改善疾病控制，限制 OCS 的滥用。
