Severe asthma and eligibility for biologics in a Brazilian cohort.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the eligibility for biologic therapies for severe asthma (SA) in a cohort of patients attending the Program for Control of Asthma (ProAR) in Bahia, Brazil. METHODS: Data from SA patients (≥18 years old) attending the ProAR, that were included in a case-control study conducted from 2013 to 2015, were used to reassess patients according to a modified ERS/ATS 2014 SA criteria. Patients were then classified according to the eligibility for SA biological therapy based on current prescription labels. RESULTS: From 544 patients in the cohort, 531 (97.6%) were included and 172 (32.4%) were identified as SA patients according to the ERS/ATS 2014 modified criteria. Of these 172 patients, 69 (40.1%) were ineligible for any of the biologicals approved for asthma (omalizumab, mepolizumab, reslizumab and benralizumab), 60 (34.9%) patients were eligible for one of the biological therapies, and 10 (5.8%) patients were eligible for all biological therapies. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of patients with SA were eligible for biologic therapy in our study, but none of them received this form of treatment. Almost half of them were not eligible to any of the approved biologics, however. The variability and overlap in patients' eligibility highlight the importance of evaluating each patient individually for a more personalized treatment approach. While there is a need to increase access for some of those eligible that may really need a biologic treatment, continuous efforts are required to develop alternatives to those who are not eligible.

Prevalence of Combined Lipid Abnormalities in Brazilian Adolescents and Its Association with Nutritional Status: Data from the Erica Study.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Brazil and worldwide. The growing incidence of obesity in children and adolescents and its association with lipid abnormalities may worsen this scenario, mainly in developing countries where obesity has reached epidemic levels. Dyslipidemias have several patterns, and the combination of some lipid abnormalities may have higher atherogenic potential. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of single or multiple combined lipid abnormalities in adolescents and its association with nutritional status assessed by body mass index. Methods: Data were obtained from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a school-based, national representative study with Brazilian adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age. Adolescents whose lipid profiles were available were included, and lipid abnormalities were defined as LDL-C ≥ 100 mg/dL, HDL-C < 45 mg/dL, and tryglicerides (TG) ≥ 100 mg/dL. We assessed the prevalence of single or combined lipid abnormalities and correlated this nutritional status with body mass index of low weight, normal, overweight, and obesity. Results: A total of 38,069 adolescents were included, with more than 24,000 of them presenting at least one lipid abnormality (64.7%), and 3.7% showing alterations in all of them. The most prevalent combination was high TG with low HDL-C levels. The higher the BMI, the more lipid abnormalities were found. Conclusions: In this large and representative sample of Brazilian adolescents, the majority had at least one lipid abnormality. Higher BMI was associated with a higher prevalence of combined lipid abnormalities. Highlights: - There is a high prevalence of Brazilian adolescents with dyslipidemias.- BMI was associated with a higher prevalence of combined lipid abnormalities.- BMI can be considered as an indicator of the diagnosis of dyslipidemia in adolescents.

Prevalence of high cholesterol levels suggestive of familial hypercholesterolemia in Brazilian adolescents: Data from the study of cardiovascular risk in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with an estimated worldwide prevalence ranging from 1 in 200 individuals to 1 in 500 individuals in its heterozygous form. Individuals with FH exhibit high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) levels from birth, which leads to premature cardiovascular events. In Brazil, like in most countries around the world, FH is considered a public health problem but remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of LDLc or non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDLc) levels suggestive of FH among Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: The Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (ERICA) was a nationwide, school-based, cross-sectional study that assessed the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in approximately 75,000 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old. Data were analyzed according to sex, age, type of school (public or private), and geographic regions of Brazil. Adolescents with untreated fasting LDLc levels of 160 mg/dL or higher or non-HDLc levels of 190 mg/dL or higher were suspected to have FH. We also evaluated the prevalence of LDLc levels of 190 mg/dL or higher, which is highly suggestive of a diagnosis of FH in this age group. RESULTS: A total of 38,069 adolescents were evaluated; more than half (59.9%) were female and most (74%) attended public schools. The prevalence of LDLc levels of 160 mg/dL or higher or non-HDLc levels of 190 mg/dL or higher among the adolescents was 0.49% (95% confidence interval: 0.34-0.71; n = 209). Moreover, 0.12% of the adolescents (95% confidence interval: 0.04-0.34; n = 44) had LDLc levels of 190 mg/dL or higher. We estimate that approximately 100,000 (1 in 200) Brazilian adolescents aged 12 to 17 years are suspected to have FH on the basis of LDLc and non-HDLc levels. CONCLUSION: We identified a significant prevalence of cholesterol levels suggestive of FH among Brazilian adolescents. Further evaluation is needed to confirm the diagnoses among the students. Our results reinforce the importance of universal screening as a critical tool for early diagnosis and treatment of FH.