Obesity May Be a Risk Factor for Asthma
(#1119192, Tuesday, October 25, 3:00 PM Eastern)
Researchers from Montreal, QC, Canada investigated the association between airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a measurement of asthma, and body mass index (BMI)/obesity in 17,195 adults referred for confirmation of asthma diagnosis between 1980 and 2000. Researchers found that 5,623 patients (32.7%) demonstrated AHR. Furthermore, the odds ratio of demonstrating AHR increased from 1.15 for the lowest BMI (30-34.9 kg/m2) to 1.46 for the highest (>40 kg/m2). The study findings indicate that an association exists between obesity and AHR, and obesity appears to be a risk factor for asthma.
Awareness of Asthma Guidelines by Specialists Does Not Always Translate to Implementation
(#1119373, Tuesday, October 25, 3:00 PM Eastern)
New research indicates that although most specialists are aware of the asthma guidelines from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), little improvement in adherence to guidelines or implementation of asthma management practices takes place. Researchers from the Asthma and Allergy Associates and Research Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado and other institutions around the country compared data from the 1998 Asthma in America (AIA) survey and the 2009 Asthma Insight Management study. The analysis included an assessment of treatment practices among a total of 821 US physicians, including asthma care physicians (ACP) and primary care physicians (PCP), pulmonologists, allergists, family practitioners, and internists. Results showed that nearly 98% of all ACPs in both surveys, 88% in the AIA survey, and 94% in the AIM survey knew of NAEPP guidelines. Even though physicians are aware of the guidelines, the percentage adhering to the guidelines decreased always or most of the time, and the use of written asthma action plans also declined among ACPs and PCPs. Overall, in 1998 and 2009, ACPs treated patients with asthma according to the guidelines more often than did PCPs.