title: Changes in the use of anti-asthmatic medication in an international cohort.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe changes in pharmacotherapy for asthma since the early 1990s in an international cohort of young and middle-aged adults. A total of 28 centres from 14 countries participated in a longitudinal study. The study included 8,829 subjects with a mean follow-up time of 8.7 yrs. Change in the prevalence of use for medication was expressed as absolute net change (95% confidence interval) standardised to a 10-yr period. The use of anti-asthmatics was found to have increased by 3.1% (2.4-3.7%) and the prevalence of symptomatic asthma by 4.0% (3.5-4.5%). In the sample with asthma in both surveys (n=423), the use of inhaled corticosteroids increased by 12.2% (6.6-17.8%). Despite this, only 17.2% were using inhaled corticosteroids on a daily basis at follow-up. Females with continuous asthma were more likely, compared with males, and smokers with asthma, to have started using inhaled corticosteroids since the first survey. The use of anti-asthmatics has increased in a pattern consistent with current consensus on treatment. However, despite increased use of inhaled corticosteroids, a large majority of subjects with symptomatic asthma do not use this treatment on a daily basis, particularly males and smokers with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Medical Sciences, Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Akademiska sjukhuset, SE 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden. christer.janson@medsci.uu.se
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Marco
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Accordini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Almar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bugiani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carolei
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cazzoletti
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cerveri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corsico
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Duran-Tauleria
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gislason
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulsvik
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jõgi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marinoni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martínez-Moratalla
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vermeire
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jarvis
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents