PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT OF ASTHAMA

  

PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT OF ASTHAMA

Definition of asthma-related variables

Physician-diagnosed asthma: a positive answer to the questions “Have you ever had asthma?” and “Was this confirmed by a doctor?”.

Asthma-related symptoms in the last 12 months: reported having had wheeze, nocturnal chest tightness or attacks of breathlessness following activity, at rest or at night during the last 12 months.

Current asthma: having physician-diagnosed asthma and having had at least one of the following criteria: asthma-related symptoms, attacks of asthma in the last 12 months or reported current use of any medicines for asthma.

Persistent asthma: having current asthma at all three surveys.

The participants were also asked whether they had asthma attacks within the last 12 months and if “yes”, the number of attacks.

Medications for asthma

Participants were considered to be taking medication for asthma if they reported having used any of the following drugs for their breathing in the 12 months preceding each survey: 1) inhaled asthma medications (short-acting β2-agonists (SABAs), LABAs, short-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists, LAMAs and ICSs), 2) oral asthma medications (β2-agonists, theophylline, LTRAs and oral corticosteroids (OCSs)) and 3) injections for the treatment of allergy (including omalizumab). Patients who used fixed combinations of ICS+LABA were considered to be using both drugs. Patients that reported having used ICSs “continuously” in the last 3 months before each survey were defined as regular users of ICSs.

Healthcare utilisation

The participants were asked whether they had spent a night in hospital and whether they had been seen by a doctor because of breathing problems in the 12 months preceding each survey.