title: Level of asthma control and healthcare utilization in Latin America.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether uncontrolled asthma was associated with healthcare outcomes among Latin American patients with asthma. We used data from 2168 patients with asthma who participated in the 2011 Latin America Asthma Insights and Management (AIM) survey. Using Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines, patients were categorized as having asthma that was well-controlled, partly controlled, or uncontrolled. Overall, 7% of the patients surveyed had asthma that was classified as well-controlled. Patients whose asthma was not well-controlled were significantly more likely to report use of asthma medications (ORs ranging from 1.6-41) and to have had emergency healthcare visits or hospitalizations for their asthma in the previous year (ORs ranging from 2.1 to 5.9). They also reported decreases in their productivity compared to patients with well-controlled asthma. These associations suggest that emphasis on improving asthma control could have substantial effects on patient productivity and utilization of healthcare resources.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Montealegre
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Allen-Ramey
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jardim
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sansores
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents
keywords: Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines; healthcare utilization; hospitalization; long-term maintenance medications; productivity