The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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To identify patient characteristics associated with nocturnal emergency department (ED) visits for asthma. ⋯ Higher odds of nocturnal visits in men suggest the existence of gender-differences in health-seeking behavior in asthmatics. Although nocturnal visits are associated with more severe asthma, they do not lead to higher return rates.
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The hypothesis was that asthmatics might experience impaired perception of dyspnea and salbutamol-induced reversibility during unlimited airway narrowing. A total of 38 asthmatics (18 to 59 years of age) were examined. All patients underwent the methacholine challenge test. ⋯ Salbutamol-induced reversibility was significantly lower in the UAN group (81 +/- 1.4 % of baseline FEV1) compared with patients from the RP group (91 +/- 1.1% of baseline FEV1; p < 0.001). In conclusion, asthmatics during methacholine-induced unlimited airway narrowing exhibit diminished perception of dyspnea and lower bronchial reversibility to the baseline 20 minutes after inhalation of salbutamol. This suggests that more careful monitoring of the lung function for timely recognition of asthma deteriorations and adequate bronchodilatory therapy during severe acute attacks should be recommended for such patients.