Risk Factors Associated with Asthma Control and Quality of Life in Patients with Mild Asthma Without Preventer Treatment, a Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: To study risk factors for uncontrolled asthma and insufficient quality of life (QoL) in patients with mild asthma, ie those without preventer treatment.
Patients and Methods: Patients aged 18– 75 years with a doctor’s diagnosis of asthma randomly selected from primary and secondary care in Sweden. Mild asthma was defined as self-reported current asthma and no preventer treatment. Data were collected from self-completed questionnaires in 2012 and 2015. Well-controlled asthma was defined as Asthma Control Test (ACT) ≥ 20 points and no exacerbation and uncontrolled asthma as ACT< 20 points and/or at least one exacerbation in the previous six months. QoL was measured by the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini-AQLQ), where a total mean score of ≥ 6 indicated sufficient and < 6 insufficient QoL. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using asthma control and Mini-AQLQ as dependent variables. Asthma control was dichotomized as controlled and uncontrolled asthma and the Mini-AQLQ as sufficient QoL (mean score ≥ 6) and insufficient QoL (mean score < 6).
Results: Among 298 patients, 26% had uncontrolled asthma, 40% insufficient QoL and 20% both uncontrolled asthma and insufficient QoL. Age ≥ 60 years, obesity, daily smoking, rhinitis and inadequate knowledge of asthma self-management were independently associated with poor asthma control. Factors independently associated with insufficient QoL were age ≥ 60 years, overweight, obesity, rhinitis, sinusitis and inadequate knowledge of asthma self-management. Age ≥ 60 years, obesity, rhinitis and inadequate knowledge of asthma self-management were independently associated with both uncontrolled asthma and insufficient QoL.
Conclusion: Among asthma patients without preventer medication, 26% had uncontrolled asthma and 40% had insufficient asthma-related QoL. Older age, obesity, and rhinitis were risk factors for both poor asthma control and a reduced QoL, but having good knowledge of asthma self-management reduced this risk. Our findings suggest that this group of patients requires further attention and follow-up.

Plain Language Summary: Many patients with little symptoms of asthma do not take asthma-preventer medication as their asthma is recognized as mild. Still, it is well-known that in this group there are patients with frequent and severe symptoms and acute attacks of asthma, defined as uncontrolled asthma. Quality of life (QoL) is less studied in these patients. Our aim was to study patient characteristics and factors with a higher risk for uncontrolled asthma and insufficient QoL in patients with mild asthma.
We studied patients with asthma diagnosis 18– 75 of age in Sweden who reported asthma and no asthma preventer medication. They answered questionnaires about characteristics, knowledge of asthma, asthma symptoms, acute asthma attacks and QoL. A test for asthma symptom control, the Asthma Control Test (ACT), was answered, where 20 points or more meant good asthma symptom control. Patients were regarded as having uncontrolled asthma if they had less than 20 points and/or at least one acute asthma attack the last six months. QoL was measured by the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. A mean score of 6 or more meant sufficient and less than 6 insufficient QoL.
Of the 298 patients, 26% had uncontrolled asthma, 40% had insufficient QoL and 20% had both. Patients with risk for both uncontrolled asthma and insufficient QoL were 60 years and over, with obesity, rhinitis and those who reported insufficient knowledge of how to handle asthma. Our results suggest that patients with mild asthma need more attention, better management and follow-ups.

Keywords: asthma, management, risk factors, asthma outcomes