The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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It has been hypothesized that some patients with chest tightness of unknown origin can be successfully treated with a bronchodilator and that they should be diagnosed with chest pain variant asthma. We conducted a prospective study to characterize newly diagnosed patients with chest tightness relieved with bronchodilator use and without characteristic bronchial asthma attacks. ⋯ We suspect that the chest tightness was induced by airway constriction in these patients, but further study is necessary to validate this hypothesis. We propose that the chest tightness relieved with bronchodilator use was attributed to airway constriction resulting from inflammation with lymphocytes and macrophages and/or that the chest tightness was directly attributed to airway inflammation. This clinical trial is registered at www.umin.ac.jp (UMIN13994 and UMIN 16741).
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Epidemiologic studies indicate that indoor air pollution is correlated with morbidity caused by allergic diseases. We evaluated the effectiveness of reducing the levels of indoor fine particulate matter <2.5 micrometer diameter (PM2.5) in Fresno, California using air purifiers on health outcomes in children with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. ⋯ Intervention with air purifiers reduces indoor PM2.5 levels with significant improvements in nasal symptoms in children with allergic rhinitis in Fresno.
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Review Meta Analysis
The efficacy and safety of reslizumab for inadequately controlled asthma with elevated blood eosinophil counts: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Reslizumab is a humanised anti-interleukin 5 monoclonal antibody that disrupts eosinophil maturation and promotes programmed cell death. ⋯ This meta-analysis indicates that reslizumab to be an effective and safe treatment for inadequately controlled, eosinophilic asthma.
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Disparities in asthma outcomes are well documented in the United States. Interventions to promote equity in asthma outcomes could target factors at the individual and community levels. The objective of this analysis was to understand the effect of individual (race, gender, age, and preventive inhaler use) and county-level factors (demographic, socioeconomic, health care, air-quality) on asthma emergency department (ED) visits among Medicaid-enrolled children. This was a retrospective cohort study of Medicaid-enrolled children with asthma in 29 states in 2009. Multilevel regression models of asthma ED visits were constructed utilizing individual-level variables (race, gender, age, and preventive inhaler use) from the Medicaid enrollment file and county-level variables reflecting population and health system characteristics from the Area Resource File (ARF). County-level measures of air quality were obtained from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. ⋯ At the patient care level, proper use of controller medications is the factor most amenable to intervention. There is also a societal imperative to address negative social determinants, such as residential segregation.
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Observational Study
Measuring the cost of poor asthma control and exacerbations.
Previous studies have shown an association between cost and poor asthma control. However, longitudinal studies of general populations are lacking. ⋯ Results demonstrate that poor asthma control and exacerbations are strongly associated with higher healthcare expenditures. Results also confirm that collection of validated measures of control such as the ACQ-5 may provide valuable information toward improving clinical and economic outcomes.