title: [Exacerbations in perimenstrual asthma. Clinical significance of peripheral blood eosinophilia and BMI].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by lower airways' obstruction, caused by various factors. There are many asthma phenotypes. Lately, perimenstrual asthma (PMA) with a pattern of exacerbations before and during menstruation as well as obesity associated asthma have been a subject of particular scientific and clinical interest.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 women were qualified for this three-arm case-control study(women with a pattern of asthma exacerbations in the perimenstrual period, women with asthma but no perimenstrual exacerbations, healthy control group). All patients performed spirometry and assessed disease control using specific questionnaires. Peripheral blood counts with smear were also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PMA patients differ in a statistically significant way in respect of anthropometric measurements such as BMI: in PMA group 25.8±1.8; in non-PMA asthmatics 23.9 ±2.2; healthy control 23.1±1.5; p=0.018) and spirometry results (FEV1 [%]: 85.1 (36.3-113.0); in PMA asthmatics, 93.1 (81,6-109,7), in nonPMA group, p<0.05; 105.4 (108,3-119,0) in healthy control and Tiffeneau index [%]: 70.1 (41.2-98.1); in PMA vs 83.5 (59.6-94.4); in non-PMA asthmatics 93.1(81,8-97,5) in healthy control p<0.05; ). PMA asthmatics also complain of poorer disease control than non-PMA asthmatics. There were no differences in peripheral blood eosinophilia or CRP between studied groups, p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthma exacerbations are not associated with the effect of peripheral blood eosinophilia. Women with greater BMI are more predisposed to perimenstrual asthma.
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Pneumonologii w Katowicach, Wydział Lekarski w Katowicach, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, 00-752 Katowice, ul. Medyków 14 tel: (32)789 46 51, fax: (32)252 38 31, e-mail simon.mds@poczta.fm.
authors.forename: Szymon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skoczyński
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Pneumonologii w Katowicach, Wydział Lekarski w Katowicach, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Katowice.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Semik-Orzech
authors.affiliation: Zakład Medycyny Estetycznej, Wydział Farmaceutyczny z Oddziałem Diagnostyki Laboratoryjnej w Sosnowcu, Sląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Katowice.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pierzchała
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Pneumonologii w Katowicach, Wydział Lekarski w Katowicach, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Katowice.
authors.forename: Patrycja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rzepka-Wrona
authors.affiliation: Specjalistyczna Praktyka Lekarska Krzysztof Kołodziejczyk, Katowice.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kołodziejczyk
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Pneumonologii w Katowicach, Wydział Lekarski w Katowicach, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Katowice.
authors.forename: Władysław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pierzchała
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008598:Menstruation / Q000502:physiology*; D013147:Spirometry; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: asthma control; blood eosinophilia; exacerbations; obesity; perimenstrual asthma