The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The efficacy and tolerability of intravenous montelukast in acute asthma exacerbations in Japanese patients.
In Japan, the Asthma Prevention and Management Guidelines recommend nebulized β-agonists, IV (intravenous) drip corticosteroids, as well as IV drip aminophylline for acute asthma treatment. However, current treatment for acute asthma provides inadequate benefit for some patients. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of IV montelukast added to standard therapy in Japanese patients with acute asthma exacerbations. ⋯ IV montelukast was significantly more effective than placebo in the improvement of ΔFEV(1) in Japanese patients, suggesting its role as an adjunctive therapy to existing guideline recommendations.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Cost benefits of a peer-led asthma self-management program for adolescents.
Frequent use of health-care services associated with pediatric asthma places substantial economic burden on families and society. The purpose of this study is to examine the cost-saving effects of a peer-led program through reduction in health-care utilization in comparison to an adult-led program. ⋯ An asthma self-management program using peer leaders can potentially yield health-care cost savings through the reduction in acute office visits in comparison to a traditional program led by health-care professionals.
-
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) worsens nocturnal asthma, but its potential impact on daytime asthma remains largely unassessed. We investigated whether the sleep disorder is associated with daytime, in addition to nighttime, asthma symptoms. ⋯ Questionnaire-defined OSA risk and historical diagnosis were each associated with persistent daytime asthma symptoms, to an extent that matched or exceeded associations with nighttime asthma symptoms. Unrecognized OSA may be a reason for persistent asthma symptoms during the day as well as the night.