Decline of outpatient asthma management in Argentina

To assess management of adult patients admitted with acute asthma and compare the results obtained with a similar study 5 years earlier.

A cross-sectional survey of 211 consecutive patients admitted to hospital during a 12-month period was conducted. Patients were surveyed using a validated management questionnaire and the results compared with those of the previous survey.

There were 211 patients in the present survey and patient demographics were similar in both populations studied. Comparison of the previous to the current survey showed significant differences in predicted FEV(1)% at admission (30.2 +/- 10.7 vs 23.9 +/- 8.9, respectively, P < 0.001), and the average number of hospital admissions in the year prior to the survey (0.7 +/- 1.2 vs 1.3 +/- 0.7, P < 0.0001). In the present survey, more patients changed their medication after acute exacerbation and more received an action plan. Compared with the previous survey, there were no significant differences between the mean number of emergency department visits, need for mechanical ventilation, number of patients prescribed inhaled corticosteroids and other related variables.

Compared with the previous study the severity of asthma at the time of admission was worse. Some of the recommended international asthma management programmes appear to have been followed.