The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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The interval between bronchodilator administration and post-bronchodilator lung function testing is critical for accurate interpretation of the bronchodilator response. The time course of this response in children is not well documented. We aimed to document the time taken to achieve maximal lung function following salbutamol inhalation. ⋯ We conclude that a minimal interval of 20 minutes, before re-testing spirometry, is required to document the maximal response to bronchodilators in the majority of asthmatic children.
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This study aimed to evaluate the association of body fatness and sedentary status with asthma and respiratory symptoms in schoolchildren in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. A questionnaire study elicited episodes of respiratory symptoms and data on lifestyle and anthropometric parameters in 1329 5th grade schoolchildren. Results showed that 12.4% of boys and 9.5% of girls had physician-diagnosed asthma, whereas 15.1% of boys and 12.4% of girls had suspected asthma. ⋯ Higher body mass index (BMI) was significantly correlated with longer TV-watching time per day in girls and longer self-reported sedentary time per weekday in boys (p < 0.05). In summary, schoolchildren who are at risk of overweight or overweight and/or have more sedentary time have increased risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma. Weight and sedentary statuses of schoolchildren can affect their respiratory health.
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There is a wide range in the estimates of cost of asthma that are available in the literature. Given the growing prevalence of asthma and its associated healthcare resource use in the United States (U.S.), it is important to obtain current and precise cost estimates attributable to asthma treatment. The objectives of this study were to estimate the incremental direct expenditures associated with asthma in the U.S. ⋯ Given the prevalence of asthma among U.S. children and adults and its associated incremental expenditures, the annual direct medical expenditure attributable to asthma treatment is estimated at approximately $37.2 billion in 2007 U.S. dollars representing a significant portion of healthcare resource use in the U.S.
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Multicenter Study
Influence of season and temperature on the relationship of elemental carbon air pollution to pediatric asthma emergency room visits.
Previous studies have demonstrated an association between air pollution and asthma exacerbation. Less understood is the effect of elemental carbon (EC), and the interaction of EC with temperature, on increases in pediatric asthma emergency department visits and how these relationships change across the seasons in a metropolitan area with several industries and relatively low air pollution. Measurements of EC, ozone (O(3)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), and total oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)) were available from the St. ⋯ During the winter, a 0.10 microg/m(3) increase in EC resulted in 2.80% increase in asthma ED visits among 11-17-year-olds (95%CI = 1.01,1.05) at the median seasonal temperature (43.3 degrees F). This risk increased with decreasing temperature. Among 11-17-year-olds, daily number of asthma ED visits is associated with increased levels of EC at higher temperatures in the summer and lower temperatures in the winter.
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Comparative Study
Validation of automatic wheeze detection in patients with obstructed airways and in healthy subjects.
Computerized lung-sound analysis is a sensitive and quantitative method to identify wheezing by its typical pattern on spectral analysis. We evaluated the accuracy of the VRI, a multi-sensor, computer-based device with an automated technique of wheeze detection. The method was validated in 100 sound files from seven subjects with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and seven healthy subjects by comparison of auscultation findings, examination of audio files, and computer detection of wheezes. ⋯ The present findings demonstrate that the wheeze detection algorithm has good accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value for wheeze detection in regional analyses with a single sensor and multiple sensors. Results are similar to those reported in the literature. The device is user-friendly, requires minimal patient effort, and, distinct from other devices, it provides a dynamic image of breath sound distribution with wheeze detection output in less than 1 minute.