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Adherence to asthma management guidelines by middle-aged adults with current asthma
Citation
Kandane-Rathnayake, RK and Matheson, MC and Simpson, JA and Tang, MLK and Johns, DP and Meszaros, D and Wood-Baker, R and Feather, I and Morrison, S and Jenkins, MA and Giles, GG and Hopper, J and Abramson, MJ and Dharmage, SC and Walters, EH, Adherence to asthma management guidelines by middle-aged adults with current asthma, Thorax, 64, (12) pp. 1025-1031. ISSN 0040-6376 (2009) [Refereed Article]
DOI: doi:10.1136/thx.2009.118430
Abstract
Background: With the increasing burden of asthma
worldwide, much effort has been given to developing and
updating management guidelines. Using data from the
Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS), the
adequacy of asthma management for middle-aged adults
with asthma was investigated.
Methods: Information about spirometry, medication
history and current asthma status was collected by the
most recent TAHS when participants were in their mid
40s. Only those who reported ever having asthma were
eligible for analysis.
Results: Of the 702 participants who reported ever
having asthma, 50% had current asthma (n=351) of
whom 71% were categorised as having persistent asthma
(n=98 mild, n=92 moderate, n=58 severe). The
majority (85.2%) of participants with current asthma had
used some form of asthma medication in the past
12 months, but the proportion of the use of minimally
adequate preventer medication was low (26%). Postbronchodilator
airflow obstruction increased progressively
from mild to severe persistent asthma for those
inadequately managed, but not for those on adequate
therapy.
Conclusion: Appropriate use of asthma medication by
this middle-aged group of adults with current asthma was
inadequate, especially for those with adult-onset moderate
or severe persistent disease and without a family
history of asthma. These results suggest that proper use
of preventer medication could protect against the
progressive decline in lung function associated with
increasing severity. This has implications not just for poor
quality of life, but also for the development of fixed airflow
obstruction.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Research Division: | Biomedical and Clinical Sciences |
| Research Group: | Cardiovascular medicine and haematology |
| Research Field: | Respiratory diseases |
| Objective Division: | Health |
| Objective Group: | Clinical health |
| Objective Field: | Clinical health not elsewhere classified |
| UTAS Author: | Johns, DP (Associate Professor David Johns) |
| UTAS Author: | Meszaros, D (Dr Desiree Meszaros) |
| UTAS Author: | Wood-Baker, R (Professor Richard Wood-Baker) |
| UTAS Author: | Walters, EH (Professor Haydn Walters) |
| ID Code: | 61882 |
| Year Published: | 2009 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 44 |
| Deposited By: | Menzies Institute for Medical Research |
| Deposited On: | 2010-03-08 |
| Last Modified: | 2011-07-28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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