Decline In Outpatient Management Of Severe Asthma Patients Admitted To A State Hospital

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the outpatient management of adult patients admitted with asthma and compare the results obtained to a similar series studied five years earlier. A cross-sectional survey of 211 consecutive patients admitted to a hospital specialising in lung diseases during a 12 month period was conducted. Patients were surveyed using a previously validated questionnaire and the results compared to those of the previous survey. The current survey showed under-utilisation of inhaled corticosteroids, poor MDI inhalation technique, low use of PFM and under-utilisation of MDI beta2 use during asthma exacerbations. Compared to the previous study, the number of admissions doubled and the severity of asthma at the time of admission was worse. These changes may be ascribed in part to domestic social, economic and political instability in Argentina.