Use of respiratory medication in five Latin American cities: The PLATINO study.
BACKGROUND
There is scanty information regarding respiratory medication prescription pattern in Latin America. We examined the use of bronchodilators and corticosteroids in a population-based study conducted in five Latin American cities.


METHODS
Medication use was derived from questions regarding the use of medication "to help breathing" within the previous 12 months, type of medicine, and frequency of use. To minimize the possibility of overdiagnosis, we used postbronchodilator FEV(1)/FVC<0.70 plus FEV(1)<80% as the definition of obstruction.


RESULTS
Interviews were completed in 5571 subjects from 6711 eligible individuals, and spirometry was performed in 5314 subjects. There were 360 (6.5%) treated subjects and 5211 not treated. Treated subjects were more likely to be older, women, unemployed, have higher tobacco consumption, higher body mass index, higher FEV(1) reversibility and airway obstruction. They were also more likely to report prior spirometry, prior diagnosis of COPD, asthma or tuberculosis, and more respiratory symptoms. Over half of treated subjects had neither obstruction nor FEV(1) reversibility, and approximately 30% reported no prior diagnosis of asthma or COPD. Prior respiratory diagnoses and wheezing were more strongly associated with treatment than objective measures of airway obstruction.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of bronchodilators and/or corticosteroids is common in the general population aged 40 years or older, with over one-half of treated subjects using them without being obstructed.
Montes de Oca
Maria
M
Servicio de Neumonología, Hospital Universitario de Caracas, Facultad de Medicina, Los Chaguaramos 1030, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. mmdeoca@cantv.net
Tálamo
Carlos
C
Perez-Padilla
Rogelio
R
Lopez
Maria Victorina
MV
Muiño
Adriana
A
Jardim
José Roberto B
JR
Valdivia
Gonzalo
G
Pertuzé
Julio
J
Moreno
Dolores
D
Halbert
Ronald J
RJ
Menezes
Ana Maria B
AM
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002947:Cities; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates / Q000187:drug effects; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013147:Spirometry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents