ObjectiveTo analyze misdiagnosis of other lung diseases as asthma to avoid medical error. MethodsSixty-nine cases who were misdiagnosed as asthma between February 2012 and February 2014 were recruited. Clinical data was collected and analyzed including characteristics of symptoms, induced sputum, pulmonary function and blood tests. ResultsThere were 13 diseases misdiagnosed as asthma, and eosinophilic bronchitis(21.74%), upper airway cough syndrome(20.29%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(13.04%), allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis(7.25%) and hyperventilation syndrome (7.25%) were the top five diseases in these cases. Some rare diseases were also found such as idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and vocal cord dysfunction. ConclusionsA variety of diseases have the similar clinical symptoms with asthma. The key to avoid and reduce misdiagnosis is to strengthen the understanding of asthma and similar diseases.
Objective To investigate the changes of small airway function and diffusing capacity in patients with mild asthma before and after bronchial provocation test (BPT).Methods BPT was performed in suspected asthma patients with chief complaints of paroxysmal wheeze,chest tightness and cough，but with normal chest X-ray and baseline pulmonary function.BPT positive group was regarded as asthma group，while BPT negative group as control group.Lung volume，ventilatory function and diffusing capacity were measured before and after BPT and compared between the asthma and control groups.Results （A）No statistical differences were found in FEV1%，FEV1/FVC，FVC%，VC%，TLC%，FRC%，RV%，RV/TLC between the asthma and control groups before BPT.FEV1/FVC and FVC% were significantly decreased (all Plt;0.01)，while FRC% (Plt;0.05)，RV% (Plt;0.01) and RV/TLC (Plt;0.01) increased significantly in the asthma group after BPT compared with the control group.The decline rate of FEV1/FVC and FVC% and the increase rate of TLC%，RV%，RV/TLC were significantly higher in the asthma group than those in the control group (all Plt;0.01).（B）Compared with the control group，FEF25%-75% (Plt;0.05)，Vmax75% (Plt;0.01) and Vmax50% (Plt;0.05) were significantly lowered before BPT，while the above parameters and Vmax25% were significantly decreased after BPT in the asthma group (all Plt;0.01).The decline rate of FEF25%-75%，Vmax75%，Vmax50% and Vmax25% was significantly higher in the asthma group than those in the control group (all Plt;0.01).（C）There was no statistical difference in DLCO in both groups before and after BPT.Conclusions Patients with mild asthma had small airways impairment before BCT which further declined after BPT.However,no impairment of diffusion capacity was found before or after BPT.
Objection To investigate the changes of insulin and insulin receptor in asthma patients.Methods Forty asthma patients were allocated into two groups：20 newly diagnosed treatment–naiuml;ve mild-moderate asthma patients，20 mild-moderate persistent asthma patients treated with inhaled corticosteroid. 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled as normal control.Blood samples were obtained from 40 asthma patients and 20 healthy volunteers.Total and differential leukocyte counts,blood glucose concentration and serum insulin concentration were measured.The level of lymphocyte insulin receptor in peripheral blood were assayed by flow cytomertry.Pulmonary function were performed at the same time.Results The numbers of eosinophil in the two asthma groups were significantly higher than those in the normal control group [(4.04±2.57)% and (4.24±2.34)% vs (0.90±1.38)%，Plt;0.05)，the levels of insulin and insulin receptor in the treatment-naiuml;ve group were significantly higher than those in the control group [insulin：(13.00±5.20)mIU/L vs (10.08±3.79)mIU/L，Plt;0.05；insulin receptor：(2.59±3.11)% vs (0.99±0.62)%，Plt;0.05).Conclusion Insulin secretion and insulin receptor expression in asthma patients are increased in the presence of inflammation.
ObjectiveTo analyze the relationship between medication compliance of patients with uncontrolled asthma and lung function,airway inflammation level, asthma control level and quality of life so as to obtain important references for improving patient compliance and asthma control level in the future. MethodsQuestionnaires were performed in asthma patients who did not achieve asthma control and had poor compliance in 32 third-class hospitals in 28 provinces of China mainland. All patients were tested for lung function and airway inflammation levels. So the relevant data of asthma compliance was investigated and analyzed. ResultsA total of 923 patients were investigated and the questionnaire recovery rate was 100%. Two hundred and forty-three (26.33%) answered cognitive related questions about asthma completely correctly. Treatment compliance in asthma patients was positively correlated with lung function and significantly negatively correlated with exhaled nitric oxide. Better treatment compliance in asthma has higher level of asthma control and quality of life. Poor compliance in asthma patients will lead to decreased lung function and elevated levels of airway inflammation, resulting in decreased asthma control and quality of life. ConclusionAsthma treatment compliance is related to lung function, airway inflammation, asthma control level and quality of life.
Objective To explore the clinical value of measuring angle alpha ( α) in the descending limb of maximum expiratory flow-volumem ( MEFV) curve in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) and bronchial asthma. Methods From MEFV curves, angle αand other parameters were measured in 157 individuals with COPD and 149 patients with asthma who received pulmonary function test in Zhongshan Hospital, from November 2008 until December 2009. The results were grouped and analyzed.The area under ROC curve of the angle αwas measured in the patients with COPD and compared with asthma. Results The angle αlessened with the increasing degree of airway obstruction in the patients with COPD and asthma( P lt;0. 01, P gt;0. 05) . Tangent( 180 - α) and FEV1. 0 were correlated either in the COPD group or in the asthma group( r = - 0. 640, P =0. 000; r = - 0. 206, P = 0. 012) . There was no statistical difference in the angle α between the COPD group and the asthma group when the patients had mild obstructive ventilation disorders( P =0. 177) . The angle αin the COPD group was smaller than that in the asthma group when the patients had moderate and severe obstructive ventilation disorders( P =0. 000, P =0. 000) . Area under ROC curves of the angle αin the patients with COPD who had mild, moderate and severe obstructive ventilation disorders were 0. 431, 0. 846 and 0. 928 respectively. In moderate obstructive ventilation disorders, the optimal diagnostic cutoff point was 135. 5 degree which was capable of differentiating COPD and asthma with a sensitivity of 81. 7% , a specificity of 74. 2% , a positive predictivevalue of 75. 4% , and a negative predictive value of 80. 7% . In severe obstructive ventilation disorders, the optimal diagnostic cutoff point was 129. 5 degree with a sensitivity of 87. 5% , a specificity of 84. 0% , a positive predictive value of 94. 3% , and a negative predictive value of 77. 8% . Conclusions Angle αin the descending limb of MEFV curve can assess the degree of airway obstruction in COPD, whereas it just reflect the presence of airway obstruction in asthma. Differences in Angle αare associated with pathological and pathophysiological differences between COPD and asthma, which will help for deffirentiating diagnosis.
Objective To investigate and discuss the prevalence and the relevant risk factors of bronchial asthma in Shenzhen city China. Methods We used standard scheme and questionnaire, and performed stratified-cluster-disproportional-random-sampling survey for the population of five communities. Results A total of 6 248 people were surveyed. 50.5% (3 156 of 6 248) of whom were men and 49.5% (3 092 of 6 248) were women. In this survey, forty asthma patients were found, and the overall prevalence rate was 0.64%, three groups with higher prevalence were 66 to 75 years (54‰), 56 to 65 years (23‰) and 14 to 17 years (12‰) respectively. Risk factors found that among 40 asthma patients, people often exposed to secondhand smoking were reported by 40% and children exposed to their father’s smoking from fetus were reported by 57%. People with asthma with allergic rhinitis were reported by 50%. The attacks were caused by common cold and changing temperature or inhaling cold air were 45% and 30% respectively. About 86% of children suffered from asthma before 2 years old. Conclusion This survey has basically reflected the distribution, frequency and intensity of asthma. The overall prevalence rate is 0.64% from which it would be estimated that there could be 25 900 asthma patients in Shenzhen city, the relavent data will provide basis for the future research, mass prevention and the treatment of asthma.
Chronic airway diseases constitute the majority of mortality of respiratory diseases in China. The 2017 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease has proposed a novel scheme for classification of disease severity. The mainstream for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management has shifted to the combination of long acting β2 agonists (LABA) and long acting muscarinic cholinergic antagonists instead of inhaled corticosteroid and LABA. Tiotropium was effective in early COPD with little or even without symptoms. The manangement strategy on COPD may be moving to the upper stream (early intervention). Greater interest has been focusing on clinical phenotyping and inflammatory pathways in asthma. The greater understanding of the pathogenesis of asthma has been associated with the clinical trial progress which suggests that multiple medications targeting at Th2 pathways may provide benefits for implementing personalized therapy. Medications targeting at neutrophilic airway inflammation and blockade of KIT pathways are expected to provide novel rationales for managing asthma with different phenotypes. There has been a considerable progress in bronchiectasis research in China, particularly in terms of etiology, bacteriology and clinical phenotying investigations. The establishment of bronchiectasis research centers in China may help better understanding of the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis, thus identifying potential targets for intervention, which may provide crucial rationale for future intervention to improve the long-term prognosis.
ObjectiveTo explore the mediating effect of depression between fatigue and quality of life in patients with bronchial asthma, and to provide a clinical basis for alleviating fatigue and improving the quality of life in asthma patients.MethodsBronchial asthma patiens were recruited with convenience sampling method to conducta questionnaire survey in outpatients department of respiratory of a tertiary hospital in Guangxi from November 2018 to March 2019. The general data questionnaire, the Chinese version of Checklist Individual Strength-Fatigue, the Self-rating Depression Scale, the Questionnaire for Asthma Quality of Life in Adult, and the Asthma Control Test were used. We collected data to analyze the mediating effects of depression between fatigue and quality of life in patients with bronchial asthma.ResultsFinally, 120 patients were included. There were statistically significant differences in quality of life among patients with different ages, education levels, residences, time of high incidence of symptoms, degrees of lung function impairment, asthma control conditions, and degrees of depression, and between patients with fatigue and the ones without fatigue (P<0.05). The quality of life score was negatively correlated with depression score and fatigue score (r=−0.749, −0.770; P<0.001). The depression score was positively correlated with fatigue score (r=0.769, P<0.001). The fatigue score had a negative predictive effect on quality of life score [standardized partial regression coefficient (β’)=−0.587, P<0.001], and a positive predictive effect on depression scores (β’=0.657, P<0.001). After adding depression score, the effect of fatigue score on quality of life score decreased and the β’ changed from −0.587 to −0.319, suggesting that depression played a partial mediating role in the relationship between fatigue and quality of life. Mediation tests showed significant mediation effects.ConclusionsRelieving or eliminating fatigue can improve the quality of life in asthma patients directly. At the same time, it can indirectly improve the quality of life in asthma patients through relieving depression.
ObjectiveTo survey the current asthma impact on quality of life and related factors in China. MethodsTwo thousand and thirty-four asthmatic patients, from bronchial asthma prevalence epidemiology survey in the population over 14 years old in 8 areas of China from 2009 to 2013, were enrolled. The data about medical resource use, control status and quality of life were collected by detailed questionnaire and analysed using the Epidata database and SAS 9.2 software. ResultsOut of the 2034 asthma patients, 1213 patients (59.6%) reported that their activities including entertainment, learning, fertility and employment were limited due to asthma. In the four aspects of entertainment, education, family and employment, 688 patients (33.8%) had one limited activity in one aspect, 165 patients (8.19%) had most of activities limited in one aspect, 246 patients (12.1%) had limited activities in two or three aspects, 114 patients (5.6%) had limited activities in all aspects. One hundred and eighty-one patients (8.9%) needed help in daily life, such as cooking, shopping, doing housework. Seventy-one patients (3.5%) even needed help in eating, personal hygiene, toilet, and their daily activities were remarkably restricted. Eighty-one patients (4.0%) had motive of suicide. Aging, comorbidity, and medication use were the most important factors. ConclusionAsthma has a significant negative effects on the life and emotion of patients, and proper control of comorbidity and regular treatment of asthma are effective ways to improve the life and emotional state of patients with asthma.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatments of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). MethodsThe clinical data of four cases of ABPA diagnosed in our department between 2009 and 2014 were analyzed. The related literature was also reviewed. ResultsABPA tends to occur in people with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. The main clinical manifestations are wheezing, fever, cough, and sputum production. Laboratory examinations include immediate Aspergillus skin test reactivity, elevated total serum IgE and Aspergillus specific IgE and IgG antibodies, and peripheral blood eosinophilia. Radiological findings include recurrent chest roentgenographic infiltrates and central bronchiectasis. Treatments involve corticosteroids and antifungal therapy with itraconazole. ConclusionsABPA is easy to misdiagnosis clinically. It should be considered in patients with poor controlled asthma and asthmatic patients with acute pulmonary infiltrates. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can minimize lung injury from ABPA and improve outcomes.