A 20-year study of 11,000 patients shows that comorbidities and frequent exacerbations drive higher mortality rates in severe asthma cases.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Doubled Mortality Risk: A study of 11,000 patients found that 34% of those with severe asthma died during a 20-year follow-up compared to 20% of those with mild or moderate disease.
- Comorbidity Drivers: Researchers identified that the increased risk of death is primarily linked to comorbidities like cardiovascular disease and cancer rather than individual asthma attacks.
- Clinical Awareness: The findings highlight a need for specialized healthcare interventions for the 3% to 8% of the asthma population classified as having severe disease.
People with severe asthma face nearly twice the risk of premature death compared to patients with milder forms of the disease, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal.
The research, conducted through the Nordic research collaboration NORDSTAR, analyzed data from more than 11,000 patients over a 20-year period. The study found that 34% of patients with severe asthma died during the follow-up period, while 20% of patients with mild or moderate asthma passed away.
“This is one of the largest studies conducted in this field, and it clearly shows that severe asthma is a serious disease,” said Apostolos Bossios, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, in a news release.
While deaths directly linked to asthma attacks were relatively uncommon, patients with severe asthma showed a higher prevalence of other fatal conditions. Causes of death such as cardiovascular disease and cancer were more frequent in this group than in the mild-to-moderate cohort.
“We see that comorbidities and recurrent exacerbations are likely driving the risks, rather than the asthma attacks themselves,” said Bossios, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, in a news release.
Severe asthma, which affects an estimated 3% to 8% of all asthma patients, is characterized by frequent exacerbations, coexisting conditions, and a higher requirement for hospital care. Researchers hope the findings will lead to better follow-up and more precise treatment protocols for this high-risk group.
The NORDSTAR project utilizes registry data from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, covering more than 3 million people with asthma. The project is led by the Nordic Severe Asthma Network (NSAN), where Bossios serves as vice chair.
“Even though asthma treatment has improved enormously, there are still patients who need more targeted interventions,” said Bossios, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, in a news release.
