title: The relationship of asthma-specific quality of life during pregnancy to subsequent asthma and perinatal morbidity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether asthma-specific quality of life during pregnancy is related to asthma exacerbations and to perinatal outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of inhaled beclomethasone versus theophylline in the treatment of moderate asthma during pregnancy. The Juniper Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) was administered to patients at enrollment. Exacerbations were defined as asthma symptoms requiring a hospitalization, unscheduled medical visit, or oral corticosteroid course.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Quality of life assessments were provided by 310 of the 385 participants who completed the study. There was more than a 25% decrease in the odds of a subsequent asthma exacerbation for every 1-point increase in AQLQ score for the overall score (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55-0.96), emotion domain (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59-0.88), and symptoms domain (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.57-0.94). These relationships were not significantly influenced by initial symptom frequency or forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)). No significant relationships were demonstrated between enrollment AQLQ scores and preeclampsia, preterm birth, low birth weight, or small for gestational age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthma-specific quality of life in early pregnancy is related to subsequent asthma morbidity during pregnancy but not to perinatal outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy at Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, California 92111, USA. michael.x.schatz@kp.org
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schatz
authors.forename: Mitchell P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dombrowski
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.forename: Yinglei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landon
authors.forename: Roger B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Dwight J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Rouse
authors.forename: Menachem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miodovnik
authors.forename: Mary Jo
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Steve N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Caritis
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Leveno
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wapner
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Conway
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009017:Morbidity; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult