Influence of current or former smoking on asthma management and control.
BACKGROUND
In patients with asthma, smoking has been associated with accelerated decline in pulmonary function, poor disease control and reduced responsiveness to corticosteroids.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the influence of current and former smoking on self-reported asthma control and health care use in a large population of asthma patients.


METHODS
The present analysis was conducted following a telephone survey of adult Canadians aged 18 to 54 years who had physician-diagnosed asthma and a smoking history of less than 20 pack-years.


RESULTS
Of 893 patients, 268 were former smokers and 108 were current smokers. Daytime and nighttime symptoms, absenteeism from work or school, emergency care use for asthma in the past year, and use of a short-acting bronchodilator without controller medication were reported more frequently by current smokers than nonsmokers and former smokers. Former smokers were not significantly different from nonsmokers with respect to most asthma outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Current smokers with asthma show evidence of poorer asthma control and greater acute care needs than lifelong nonsmokers or former smokers. These observations stress the importance of smoking cessation to help achieve asthma control.
Boulet
Louis-Philippe
LP
Unité de recherche en pneumologie, Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Laval, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de l'Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec.
FitzGerald
J Mark
JM
McIvor
R Andrew
RA
Zimmerman
Sabrina
S
Chapman
Kenneth R
KR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D055815:Young Adult
D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids