| 1. |
- Leander, Mai, et al.
(författare)
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Associations Between Mortality, Asthma, and Health-Related Qualityof Life in an Elderly Cohort of Swedes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Asthma. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0277-0903 .- 1532-4303.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Asthma is a common chronic health condition among the elderly and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Some studiesshow that subjective assessments of health-related quality of life (HRQL) are important predictors of mortality and survival. The primary aim ofthis study was to investigate whether low HRQL was a predictor of mortality in elderly subjects and whether such an association differed betweensubjects with and without asthma. Methods. In 1990, a cohort in middle Sweden was investigated using a respiratory questionnaire. To assess HRQL,the generic instrument Gothenburg Quality of Life (GQL) was used. The participants were also investigated by spirometry and allergy testing. Thepresent study was limited to the subjects in the oldest age group, aged 60–69 years in 1990, and included 222 subjects with clinically verified asthma,148 subjects with respiratory symptoms but no asthma or other lung diseases, and 102 subjects with no respiratory symptoms. Mortality in thecohort was followed during 1990–2008. Results. Altogether, 166 of the 472 subjects in the original cohort had died during the follow-up period of1990–2008. Mortality was significantly higher in men, in older subjects, in smokers, and subjects with a low forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1). There was, however, no difference in mortality between the asthmatic and the nonasthmatic groups. A higher symptoms score for GQLwas significantly related to increased mortality. No association between HRQL and mortality was found when limiting the analysis to the asthmaticgroup, although the asthmatics had a lower symptom score for GQL compared to the other groups. Conclusion. A higher symptom score in the GQLinstrument was significantly related to increased mortality, but this association was not found when analyzing the asthmatic group alone. The negativeprognostic implications of a low HRQL in the whole group and the fact that the asthmatic group had a lower HRQL than the other group supports theuse of HRQL instruments in clinical health assessments.
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| 2. |
- Leander, Mai
(författare)
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Health-Related Quality of Life in Asthma
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Health-related quality of life (HRQL) has become an important outcome in asthma, since traditional outcomes, such as respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function, might not entirely express the patient’s perception of the limitations caused by the disease. The aim of this thesis was to study HRQL in asthma and to analyse if HRQL was related to asthma onset and prognosis. Other aims were to identify determinants of low HRQL in clinically-verified asthmatics, and to study whether low HRQL was a predictor of mortality. In 1990, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by 12,560 individuals from three age groups (16, 30-39, and 60-69 years) in two counties of Sweden. In a second phase, all subjects who reported a history of obstructive respiratory symptoms (n = 1,851) and 600 randomly-selected controls were invited to a clinical investigation including spirometry, allergy testing, and assessment of HRQL with the Gothenburg Quality of Life instrument. In 2003, the eligible subjects in the cohort (n=11,282) were sent a new questionnaire. Mortality data in the cohort was followed up during 1990–2008 using data from the National Board of Health and Welfare Mortality Database. The 616 subjects with clinically-verified asthma 1990 had significantly lower HRQL than subjects without asthma. In the 2003 follow-up, the 305 subjects with persistent asthma had a lower HRQL than the 155 subjects who showed improvement in asthma during the follow-up. Subjects who had developed asthma by the follow-up had a significantly lower HRQL at baseline than those who did not develop asthma. Significant determinants of quality of life in asthma were female sex, smoking habits, higher airway responsiveness to irritants, respiratory symptom severity, positive skin prick test, and absenteeism from work or school. Low HRQL was related to increased mortality, but this association was not found when analyzing the asthmatic group alone. In conclusion, measurements of HRQL are of value for evaluating both the impact and progression of asthma.
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| 3. |
- Uddenfeldt, Monica, et al.
(författare)
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High BMI is related to higher incidence of asthma, while a fish and fruit diet is related to a lower : - Results from a long-term follow-up study of three age groups in Sweden
- 2010
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Ingår i: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 104:7, s. 972-980
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The causes of the worldwide increase in asthma seen during the last decades remain largely unexplained, but lifestyle and diet are suggested to play important roles. In this follow up of a large-scale population sample in Sweden, we wanted to identify modifiable risk factors for the cumulative incidence over a 13-year follow-up period.In 1990, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by 12,560 individuals from three age groups (16, 30–39 and 60–69 years of age) in two counties of Sweden. In 2003, the eligible subjects (n = 11,282) were sent a new postal questionnaire.In total 8150 (response rate 73%) answered the questionnaire. The prevalence of asthma in 2003 had increased in all ages. In the young adults, the asthma prevalence rose from 11.3% in 1990 to 25.0% in 2003. Adult asthma onset was identified in 791 of the participants. Smoking [RR (95% CI) = 1.37 (1.12–1.68)], BMI [1.49 (1.25–1.77 per inter quartile range)], and nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) [2.16 (1.72–2.72)] were significant independent risk factors for the cumulative incidence of asthma. The impact of risk factors differed between the age groups where BMI and GOR had a significantly higher impact in the middle aged and the elderly (p < 0.05). High consumption of fruit and fish was protective especially in the elderly [0.52 (0.35–0.77)]. No significant difference was found in the impact of risk factors between men and women.Weight loss, smoking cessation and a diet rich in fruit and fish may be of importance in preventing onset of adult asthma.
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