Newswise — For those with serious or chronic asthma, certain demographic and socio-economic factors are associated with a greater risk of asthma hospitalization, according to a statistical study presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston.
The study analyzed records of high-risk patients enrolled in an asthma management program in Singapore over a 31- month period, and found a significantly higher percentage of hospitalizations among women. Other predicators were age, education and income, with younger, poorer and less educated patients having the highest rate of admissions.
Ms. Li-Ling Wong of Singapore General Hospital in Singapore, who headed the study, noted that while hospital admission due to asthma symptoms is a key indicator of asthma morbidity, little is known about the risk factors for hospitalization. Analyzing medical records for those enrolled in the clinic's asthma management program from October 2001 to May 2004, the study's purpose was twofold: to characterize the profile of high-risk asthmatics with prior asthma-related hospitalizations, and to identify predictors and risk factors associated with the hospitalizations.
For the purposes of the study, high-risk asthmatics were defined as patients who had a clinical diagnosis of asthma and had either one or more hospital admissions for exacerbation of asthma in the preceding 12 months, or at least one severe exacerbation of asthma in the preceding six months requiring an unscheduled hospitalization visit for beta2-agonist nebulization.
The study compared patients who had one or more hospitalization for asthma in the past 12 months prior to enrolling in the asthma management program with those who were not hospitalized. Of the 521 high-risk patients, nearly half (48.4 percent) had at least one or more asthma hospitalization in the past 12 months prior to enrollment. The percentage was significantly higher for female patients, of whom 63 percent had an asthma admission.
Another predicator was the patient's education level, with the risk of hospitalization significantly higher for patients with little or no education. Those admitted into hospitals for asthma also came predominantly from lower incomes. Nearly three-quarters (76.6 percent) of low-income patients had no asthma action plan, and poor patients also demonstrated poor inhaler technique. Those hospitalized also tended to be younger and have a lower first peak flow reading.
Ms. Wong believes these high-risk patient population subsets should be considered in asthma intervention aimed at reducing hospitalizations.
The ACAAI is a professional medical organization, headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill., comprising 4,700 qualified allergists-immunologists and related health care professionals. The College is dedicated to the clinical practice of allergy, asthma and immunology through education and research to promote the highest quality of patient care.
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