SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2007

10/9/07

Impact of smoking on asthma symptoms, healthcare resource use, and quality of life outcomes in adults with persistent asthma.

Summary
These authors wanted to evaluate the associations between smoking and asthma-related outcomes. They used a stratified, random sample of adults from France, Germany, and the UK with persistent asthma. The subjects were surveyed from 2001 through 2004. Statistical analyses compared asthma symptoms and healthcare resource utilization for cigarette smokers compared with those for non-smokers. In multivariate analysis of data cigarette smokers were more likely to experience nighttime symptoms (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.07, 1.97 P = 0.015) and were more likely to use healthcare resources than were non-smokers (P

Reference
Shavit, O., A. Swern, et al. (2007)., Qual Life Res.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
clearly show us that cigarette smoking in asthma patients leads to higher asthma costs related to increased emergency department visits and hospitalizations. As a cost-effective measure, smoke cessation programs should be initiated in all asthma patients that smoke.

 

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