Research by Asthma + Lung UK suggests many are using an incorrect inhaler dose.
The charity say one in five conditions are being incorrectly controlled as the alarm was raised ahead of more sweltering heat this week. Sufferers are usually given two types of inhaler, a blue reliever to help ease symptoms like coughs and wheezes. The brown inhaler helps tackle inflammation, offering protection against asthma attacks. New research has revealed a fifth of asthmatics are using the ‘reliever inhaler at least three times too much’. Clinical Lead at Asthma + Lung UK Dr Andy Whittamore has sparked concerns and urged patients to book GP appointments. Read more here.
Hospital Readmissions for Pediatric Asthma at 10-year High
Hospital readmissions for asthma in children have hit a 10-year high, raising concerns the chronic illness is not being managed properly and putting young Australians at risk.
The report from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute published in the Journal of Asthma on Thursday has revealed one in three children with asthma, mostly preschoolers, are readmitted each year to hospital compared with one in five a decade ago.
Researchers worked with 767 children in Victoria and found within 12 months 263 (34.3%) participants were readmitted to hospital, with participants between the ages of 3 to 5 years accounting for the majority of readmissions (69.2%). Read more here.
Long-Term Effects of Bronchiectasis on Asthma
The presence and progression of bronchiectasis are associated with greater risk for moderate to severe acute clinical deterioration among patients with asthma, according to study results recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
The effects of bronchiectasis on the clinical course of asthma has been unclear. To clarify this relationship, study authors conducted a retrospective study to evaluate longitudinal clinical outcomes of patients with asthma according to bronchiectasis status at 2 tertiary care hospitals in South Korea between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2019.
Study inclusion criteria were (1) diagnosis of asthma confirmed by variable expiratory flow limitation with pulmonary function tests (PFTs); (2) radiologic assessment with at least 1 chest computed tomography (CT) scan; and (3) at least 2 pulmonary function tests during the follow-up period. The spirometric criteria for asthma were in accordance with the definition of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) in place at the time of the analysis. In each patient, the Charlson Comorbidity Index was calculated to estimate the severity of all underlying comorbidities. Read more here.