Characteristics of adult severe refractory asthma in korea analyzed from the severe asthma registry

Min Hye Kim, Sang Heon Kim, So Young Park, Ga Young Ban, Joo Hee Kim, Jae Woo Jung, Ji Yong Moon, Woo Jung Song, Hyouk Soo Kwon, Jae Woo Kwon, Jae Hyun Lee, Hye Ryun Kang, Jong Sook Park, Tae Bum Kim, Heung Woo Park, Kwang Ha Yoo, Yeon Mok Oh, Young Il Koh, An Soo Jang, Byung Jae LeeYoung Joo Cho, Sang Heon Cho, Hae Sim Park, Choon Sik Park, Ho Joo Yoon, You Sook Cho

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Although mild to moderate asthma is much more common, the morbidity and mortality of severe asthma are much higher. This study was performed to identify and analyze the clinical characteristics of severe asthma in Korea. Methods: We registered patients with severe refractory asthma into the Severe Asthma Registry supported by the Severe Asthma Work Group of the Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Patients were enrolled since 2010 from the 15 university hospitals nationwide in Korea. Severe asthma was defined according to modified European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society criteria. Information on demographics, medical history, pulmonary function tests and skin prick tests was collected; the clinical characteristics of severe asthmatics were analyzed from the collected data. Results: A total of 489 patients were enrolled with a mean age of 62.3; 45% are male. Sixty percent of patients received Global Initiative for Asthma step 4 treatment, and 30% received step 5 treatment. The most common comorbidities were allergic rhinitis (58.7%). Aspirin hypersensitivity was observed in 14.0%. Approximately half (53.9%) are non-smokers. Atopy was proven in 38.5% of the patients. Regarding asthma medications, inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β-agonist combination inhalers were most commonly prescribed (96.5%), followed by leukotriene antagonists (71.0%). A recombinant anti-immunoglobulin E monoclonal antibody (omalizumab) has been used in 1.8% of the patients. The mean forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC were 78.7%, 67.5% and 67.9% of predicted values, respectively. The mean Asthma Control Test and quality of life questionnaire scores were 16.5 out of 25 and 59.5 out of 85, respectively. Conclusions: The baseline characteristics of severe asthma patients in the Korea Severe Asthma Registry were analyzed and reported for the first time. With this cohort, further prospective studies should be performed to search for ways to improve management of severe refractory asthma.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)43-54
Number of pages12
JournalAllergy, Asthma and Immunology Research
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2019 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology • The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease.

Keywords

  • Asthma
  • Registry
  • Severe asthma

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