Asthma in adults : association of asthma symptoms and age at asthma diagnosis

• Background: Asthma may begin at any age. However, knowledge about the relationship between age at asthma diagnosis and asthma symptoms is still scarce.Objectives: To test the hypothesis that among adults, asthma diagnosed in adulthood is associated with more symptoms than asthma diagnosed in childhood.Methods: A FinEsS postal survey was conducted in a random sample of 16000 20-69-year-old adults in Finland in 2016. Age 18 years was chosen to delineate child and adult-diagnosed asthma. Current asthma was defined as physician-diagnosed asthma and asthma medication use, attacks of breathlessness or wheezing in the past year.Results: Of responders (8199, 51,5%), 692 reported current asthma and age at diagnosis. Adult-diagnosed asthma was reported by 445 (64.3%) and child-diagnosed by 247 (35.7%) responders. Those with adult-diagnosed asthma had more attacks of breathlessness in the past year (82.9% vs. 74.1%, p=0.006), dyspnea (mMRC grade ≥2) (34.4% vs. 18.8%, p<0.001) and sputum production in the past three consecutive months (40.0% vs. 27.5%, p=0.001). Of responders with adult and child-diagnosed asthma, 22.5% and 28.3% were current smokers, and 91.7% and 84.2% used asthma medication, respectively. In a logistic regression model, risk factors for attacks of breathlessness were adult-diagnosis (OR=1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0) and exercising <2 times a week (OR=2.0, 1.2-3.2).Conclusion: Asthmatics with adult-diagnosed asthma had significantly more symptoms even though they smoked less and used asthma medication more often compared to those with child-diagnosed asthma. Recognizing adult onset asthma in clinical practise is important to direct precise clinical care and achieve better asthma control.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Lungmedicin och allergi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Respiratory Medicine and Allergy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Chronic diseases

Asthma

Adults

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