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Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Severe Asthma
Published on: November 4, 2010
Asthma and comorbid medical illness
M Cazzola1, L Calzetta, G Bettoncelli
1Cattedra di Malattie Respiratorie, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, IT-00133 Rome, Italy. mario.cazzola@uniroma2.it
The European Respiratory Journal
|December 24, 2010
Summary
Asthma shows weak links to many conditions like heart disease and diabetes. However, it is strongly linked to allergic rhinitis and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD).
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition with known comorbidities.
- The strength of these associations requires further definition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the magnitude of associations between asthma and various comorbidities.
- Utilize a large Italian general practice database for population-based insights.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective population-based study design.
- Data sourced from the Health Search Database (HSD).
- Diagnostic codes analyzed using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9).
Main Results:
- Asthma demonstrated weak associations with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, depression, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, and rhinosinusitis.
- A notable weak association was found with myocardial infarction (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77-0.91).
- Strong associations were observed with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and allergic rhinitis.
Conclusions:
- Asthma exhibits a weak link to numerous comorbidities.
- The strongest associations are with allergic rhinitis and GORD.
- Age did not significantly impact these associations, while sex showed varied effects depending on the comorbidity.
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