title: Impact of Asthma on the Severity of Serious Pneumococcal Disease.
abstract: We recently reported an increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease (SPD) in asthmatics. Little is known about the impact of asthma status on the severity of SPD. We compared the severity of serious pneumococcal disease (SPD) between patients with asthma and those without asthma. The study subjects were Rochester, Minnesota residents who developed SPD between 1964 and 1983. SPD and asthma status were ascertained by using explicit predetermined criteria Severity of SPD was assessed using intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate and total days of ICU stay and hospitalization associated with treatment for SPD. We found that there were no significant differences in severity outcomes between asthmatics (n=11) and non-asthmatics (n=163). Asthma status may increase the risk of SPD but not influence its severity. However, given a small sample size of our study, a larger study needs to be considered to clarify the relationship between asthma and severity of SPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Ravneet K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Dhillon
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Barbara P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Yawn
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN ; Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang Ha
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Boyce
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Michaela E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McGree
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Young J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Juhn
keywords: Asthma; Atopy; Epidemiology; Invasive pneumococcal disease; Pneumococcal disease; Pneumonia; Prognosis; Serious pneumococcal disease; Severity; Vaccine