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Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used to assess a patient's health status at a particular point in time. They are essential in the development of person-centred care. This paper reviews studies performed on PROMs for assessing AR and asthma control, in particular VAS scales that are included in the app MASK-air® (Mobile Airways Sentinel networK) for asthma and rhinitis. VASs were initially developed on paper and pencil and tested for their criterion validity, cut-offs and responsiveness. Then, a multicentric, multinational, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised control trial (DB-PC-RCT) using an electronic VAS form was carried out. Finally, with the development of MASK-air® in 2015, previously validated VAS questions were adapted to the digital format and further methodologic evaluations were performed. VAS for asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, work and EQ-5D are included in the app. Additionally, two control-medication scores for allergic symptoms of asthma (e-DASTHMA) were validated for their criterion validity, cut-offs and responsiveness.
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The traditional healthcare model is focused on diseases (medicine and natural science) and does not acknowledge patients' resources and abilities to be experts in their own lives based on their lived experiences. Improving healthcare safety, quality, and coordination, as well as quality of life, is an important aim in the care of patients with chronic conditions. Person-centered care needs to ensure that people's values and preferences guide clinical decisions. This paper reviews current knowledge to develop (1) digital care pathways for rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity and (2) digitally enabled, person-centered care.1 It combines all relevant research evidence, including the so-called real-world evidence, with the ultimate goal to develop digitally enabled, patient-centered care. The paper includes (1) Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), a 2-decade journey, (2) Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), the evidence-based model of guidelines in airway diseases, (3) mHealth impact on airway diseases, (4) From guidelines to digital care pathways, (5) Embedding Planetary Health, (6) Novel classification of rhinitis and asthma, (7) Embedding real-life data with population-based studies, (8) The ARIA-EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) strategy for the management of airway diseases using digital biomarkers, (9) Artificial intelligence, (10) The development of digitally enabled, ARIA person-centered care, and (11) The political agenda. The ultimate goal is to propose ARIA 2024 guidelines centered around the patient to make them more applicable and sustainable.
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Inteligência Artificial , Asma , Assistência Centrada no Paciente , Rinite Alérgica , Telemedicina , Humanos , Asma/terapia , Rinite Alérgica/terapia , Procedimentos Clínicos , Guias de Prática Clínica como AssuntoRESUMO
RATIONALE: It is unclear how each individual asthma symptom is associated with asthma diagnosis or control. OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of individual asthma symptoms in the identification of patients with asthma and their association with asthma control. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed real-world data using the MASK-air® app. We compared the frequency of occurrence of five asthma symptoms (dyspnea, wheezing, chest tightness, fatigue and night symptoms, as assessed by the Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test [CARAT] questionnaire) in patients with probable, possible or no current asthma. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of each symptom, and assessed the association between each symptom and asthma control (measured using the e-DASTHMA score). Results were validated in a sample of patients with a physician-established diagnosis of asthma. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: We included 951 patients (2153 CARAT assessments), with 468 having probable asthma, 166 possible asthma and 317 no evidence of asthma. Wheezing displayed the highest specificity (90.5%) and positive predictive value (90.8%). In patients with probable asthma, dyspnea and chest tightness were more strongly associated with asthma control than other symptoms. Dyspnea was the symptom with the highest sensitivity (76.1%) and the one consistently associated with the control of asthma as assessed by e-DASTHMA. Consistent results were observed when assessing patients with a physician-made diagnosis of asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Wheezing and chest tightness were the asthma symptoms with the highest specificity for asthma diagnosis, while dyspnea displayed the highest sensitivity and strongest association with asthma control.
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BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma may affect health-related quality of life. However, national estimates on the quality of life of patients with AR or asthma are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To provide estimates for utility scores and EuroQoL five-dimension (EQ-5D) visual analog scale (VAS) for patients with AR or asthma. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using direct patient data from the MASK-air app on European MASK-air users with self-reported AR or asthma. We used a multi-attribute instrument (EQ-5D) to measure quality of life (as utility scores and EQ-5D VAS values). Mean scores were calculated per country and disease control level using multilevel regression models with poststratification, accounting for age and sex biases. RESULTS: We assessed data from 7905 MASK-air users reporting a total of up to 82,737 days. For AR, utilities ranged from 0.86 to 0.99 for good control versus 0.72 to 0.85 for poor control; EQ-5D VAS levels ranged from 78.9 to 87.9 for good control versus 55.3 to 64.2 for poor control. For asthma, utilities ranged from 0.84 to 0.97 for good control versus 0.73 to 0.87 for poor control; EQ-5D VAS levels ranged from 68.4 to 81.5 for good control versus 51.4 to 64.2 for poor control. Poor disease control was associated with a mean loss of 0.14 utilities for both AR and asthma. For the same control levels, AR and asthma were associated with similar utilities and EQ-5D VAS levels. However, lower values were observed for asthma plus AR compared with AR alone. CONCLUSIONS: Poor AR or asthma control are associated with reduced quality of life. The estimates obtained from mobile health data may provide valuable insights for health technology assessment studies.
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Asma , Qualidade de Vida , Rinite Alérgica , Humanos , Asma/epidemiologia , Masculino , Feminino , Adulto , Estudos Transversais , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Rinite Alérgica/epidemiologia , Adulto Jovem , Adolescente , Inquéritos e Questionários , Idoso , Europa (Continente)/epidemiologiaRESUMO
In the recent report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Best Practices (BPs) for Integrating Care to Prevent and Manage Chronic Diseases, an app on rhinitis and asthma (MASK-air [Mobile Airways Sentinel networK for airway diseases]) has been listed. The OECD is a reliable source of evidence-based policy analysis and economic data largely used by governments. It has published several BPs on public health. On May 10, 2023, the OECD published 13 BPs for Integrating Care to Prevent and Manage Chronic Diseases in the European Union. The report did not cover all models of integrated care; rather, it "focuse(d) on those that are of key strategic interest to policy makers." New MASK-air studies (not published in the report) include equity, usability of the app in old-age adults, economic impact, quality of life, and allergen immunotherapy. MASK-air is freely available on iOS and Android in 30 countries and has been recently introduced in the United States. The MASK-air OECD BP represents a model of digitally enabled, patient-centered care for chronic diseases using a holistic approach of shared decision making.
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Asma , Saúde Pública , Humanos , Doença Crônica , Asma/terapia , Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Econômico , Prestação Integrada de Cuidados de Saúde , Aplicativos Móveis , Rinite/terapia , Guias de Prática Clínica como AssuntoRESUMO
Nature (biodiversity) loss is the loss or decline of the state of nature taking place in the wider environment. We present a novel concept, nature deficiency, referring to nature loss in the human body influencing health. Humans are connected with the natural environment and its microbes and biogenic chemicals through eating (drinking), breathing, and touching. The mental and sociocultural links to the environment are also strong. With medical and ecological research and guidelines, the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of nature deficiency may become part of the clinical practice. Nature prescription is likely to find plausible forms in patient care and inspire preventive actions at the society level. Health professionals are in a key position to integrate public health promotion and environmental care.
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BACKGROUND: In allergic rhinitis and asthma, adolescents and young adult patients are likely to differ from older patients. We compared adolescents, young adults and adults on symptoms, control levels, and medication adherence. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study (2015-2022), we assessed European users of the MASK-air mHealth app of three age groups: adolescents (13-18 years), young adults (18-26 years), and adults (>26 years). We compared them on their reported rhinitis and asthma symptoms, use and adherence to rhinitis and asthma treatment and app adherence. Allergy symptoms and control were assessed by means of visual analogue scales (VASs) on rhinitis or asthma, the combined symptom-medication score (CSMS), and the electronic daily control score for asthma (e-DASTHMA). We built multivariable regression models to compare symptoms or medication accounting for potential differences in demographic characteristics and baseline severity. RESULTS: We assessed 965 adolescent users (15,252 days), 4595 young adults (58,161 days), and 15,154 adult users (258,796 days). Users of all three age groups displayed similar app adherence. In multivariable models, age groups were not found to significantly differ in their adherence to rhinitis or asthma medication. These models also found that adolescents reported lower VAS on global allergy, ocular, and asthma symptoms (as well as lower CSMS) than young adults and adults. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents reported a better rhinitis and asthma control than young adults and adults, even though similar medication adherence levels were observed across age groups. These results pave the way for future studies on understanding how adolescents control their allergic diseases.
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Asma , Rinite Alérgica , Rinite , Humanos , Adulto Jovem , Adolescente , Estudos Transversais , Asma/tratamento farmacológico , Asma/epidemiologia , Projetos de PesquisaRESUMO
The emergence of the planetary health approach was highlighted by the report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health in 2015 and changed how we comprehend human well-being. The report advocates integrating the health of other living beings and Earth's natural systems as intrinsic components of human health. Drawing on over three decades of experience in respiratory epidemiology and environmental health, this article outlines how my perspective on human health underwent a transformative shift upon reading the abovementioned report. The planetary health approach offers a lens through which human health issues and potential solutions can be understood within the context of the Anthropocene. It addresses the pressing existential challenges arising from humanity's transgression of planetary limits. Embracing the planetary health paradigm within the field of health sciences can catalyze transformative changes essential for cultivating a sustainable and equitable future.
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Saúde Ambiental , Medicina , Humanos , Planeta Terra , PrevisõesRESUMO
Background: Daily time-series regression models are commonly used to estimate the lagged nonlinear relation between temperature and mortality. A major impediment to this type of analysis is the restricted access to daily health records. The use of weekly and monthly data represents a possible solution unexplored to date. Methods: We temporally aggregated daily temperatures and mortality records from 147 contiguous regions in 16 European countries, representing their entire population of over 400 million people. We estimated temperature-lag-mortality relationships by using standard time-series quasi-Poisson regression models applied to daily data, and compared the results with those obtained with different degrees of temporal aggregation. Findings: We observed progressively larger differences in the epidemiological estimates with the degree of temporal data aggregation. The daily data model estimated an annual cold and heat-related mortality of 290,104 (213,745-359,636) and 39,434 (30,782-47,084) deaths, respectively, and the weekly model underestimated these numbers by 8.56% and 21.56%. Importantly, differences were systematically smaller during extreme cold and heat periods, such as the summer of 2003, with an underestimation of only 4.62% in the weekly data model. We applied this framework to infer that the heat-related mortality burden during the year 2022 in Europe may have exceeded the 70,000 deaths. Interpretation: The present work represents a first reference study validating the use of weekly time series as an approximation to the short-term effects of cold and heat on human mortality. This approach can be adopted to complement access-restricted data networks, and facilitate data access for research, translation and policy-making. Funding: The study was supported by the ERC Consolidator Grant EARLY-ADAPT (https://www.early-adapt.eu/), and the ERC Proof-of-Concept Grants HHS-EWS and FORECAST-AIR.
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Green roof gardens are important for planetary health by mitigating the effects of urbanization. Because of the nature of green roof gardens, only particular plants can be used. The allergologic impact of these plants remains ill-characterized and guidance on building allergy-friendly green roof gardens is missing. To address this gap, we investigated the plant spectrum of several German green roof companies and categorized plants based on their primary pollination mechanism. Except for grasses, most plants were insect-pollinated and of low allergenicity. In addition, we conducted a review on the allergologic impact of plants used for green roof gardens. Our aim was to provide landscape architects with guidance on how to develop allergy-friendly green roof gardens. We highlight the need for universally accepted standards for assessing the allergenicity of roof top plants. Also, we recommend the joint development, by green roof producers and allergists, of criteria for allergy-friendly roof gardens. Their implementation may help to reduce the risk of allergen sensitization and allergy exacerbation, such as by avoiding the use of wind-pollinated plants of proven allergenicity including grasses. Green infrastructure, such as green roofs, should benefit planetary health without increasing the prevalence and burden of allergies.
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Asma , Hipersensibilidade , Humanos , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Jardins , Plantas , Hipersensibilidade/epidemiologia , Poaceae , Asma/epidemiologiaAssuntos
Saúde Digital , Hipersensibilidade , Humanos , Hipersensibilidade/terapia , Alérgenos , Assistência ao PacienteRESUMO
BACKGROUND: EQ-5D-5L (EuroQOL, 5 Domains, 5 Levels) is a widely used health-related quality-of-life instrument, comprising 5 domains. However, it is not known how each domain is impacted by rhinitis or asthma control. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between rhinitis or asthma control and the different EQ-5D-5L domains using data from the MASK-air mHealth app. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed data from all MASK-air users (2015-2021; 24 countries). For the levels of each EQ-5D-5L domain, we assessed rhinitis and asthma visual analog scales (VASs) and the combined symptom-medication score (CSMS). We built ordinal multivariable models assessing the adjusted association between VAS/CSMS values and the levels of each EQ-5D-5L domain. Finally, we compared EQ-5D-5L data from users with rhinitis and self-reported asthma with data from users with rhinitis alone. RESULTS: We assessed 5354 days from 3092 users. We observed an association between worse control of rhinitis or asthma (higher VASs and CSMS) and worse EQ-5D-5L levels. In multivariable models, all VASs and the CSMS were associated with higher levels of pain/discomfort and daily activities. For anxiety/depression, the association was mostly observed for rhinitis-related tools (VAS nose, VAS global, and CSMS), although the presence of self-reported asthma was also associated with worse anxiety/depression. Worse mobility ("walking around") was particularly associated with VAS asthma and with the presence of asthma. CONCLUSIONS: A worse rhinitis control and a worse asthma control are associated with higher EQ-5D-5L levels, particularly regarding pain/discomfort and activity impairment. Worse rhinitis control is associated with worse anxiety/depression, and poor asthma control with worse mobility.
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Asma , Rinite Alérgica , Humanos , Estudos Transversais , Qualidade de Vida , Asma/epidemiologia , Rinite Alérgica/epidemiologia , Dor , Inquéritos e Questionários , Nível de SaúdeRESUMO
The concept of "one-airway-one-disease", coined over 20 years ago, may be an over-simplification of the links between allergic diseases. Genomic studies suggest that rhinitis alone and rhinitis with asthma are operated by distinct pathways. In this MeDALL (Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy) study, we leveraged the information of the human interactome to distinguish the molecular mechanisms associated with two phenotypes of allergic rhinitis: rhinitis alone and rhinitis in multimorbidity with asthma. We observed significant differences in the topology of the interactomes and in the pathways associated to each phenotype. In rhinitis alone, identified pathways included cell cycle, cytokine signalling, developmental biology, immune system, metabolism of proteins and signal transduction. In rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity, most pathways were related to signal transduction. The remaining few were related to cytokine signalling, immune system or developmental biology. Toll-like receptors and IL-17-mediated signalling were identified in rhinitis alone, while IL-33 was identified in rhinitis in multimorbidity. On the other hand, few pathways were associated with both phenotypes, most being associated with signal transduction pathways including estrogen-stimulated signalling. The only immune system pathway was FceRI-mediated MAPK activation. In conclusion, our findings suggest that rhinitis alone and rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity should be considered as two distinct diseases.
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Asma , Rinite Alérgica , Rinite , Humanos , Multimorbidade , CitocinasRESUMO
Eight million Ukrainians have taken refuge in the European Union. Many have asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and/or urticaria, and around 100,000 may have a severe disease. Cultural and language barriers are a major obstacle to appropriate management. Two widely available mHealth apps, MASK-air® (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK) for the management of rhinitis and asthma and CRUSE® (Chronic Urticaria Self Evaluation) for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, were updated to include Ukrainian versions that make the documented information available to treating physicians in their own language. The Ukrainian patients fill in the questionnaires and daily symptom-medication scores for asthma, rhinitis (MASK-air) or urticaria (CRUSE) in Ukrainian. Then, following the GDPR, patients grant their physician access to the app by scanning a QR code displayed on the physician's computer enabling the physician to read the app contents in his/her own language. This service is available freely. It takes less than a minute to show patient data to the physician in the physician's web browser. UCRAID-developed by ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) and UCARE (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence)-is under the auspices of the Ukraine Ministry of Health as well as European (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical immunology, EAACI, European Respiratory Society, ERS, European Society of Dermatologic Research, ESDR) and national societies.
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Over 70,000 excess deaths occurred in Europe during the summer of 2003. The resulting societal awareness led to the design and implementation of adaptation strategies to protect at-risk populations. We aimed to quantify heat-related mortality burden during the summer of 2022, the hottest season on record in Europe. We analyzed the Eurostat mortality database, which includes 45,184,044 counts of death from 823 contiguous regions in 35 European countries, representing the whole population of over 543 million people. We estimated 61,672 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 37,643-86,807) heat-related deaths in Europe between 30 May and 4 September 2022. Italy (18,010 deaths; 95% CI = 13,793-22,225), Spain (11,324; 95% CI = 7,908-14,880) and Germany (8,173; 95% CI = 5,374-11,018) had the highest summer heat-related mortality numbers, while Italy (295 deaths per million, 95% CI = 226-364), Greece (280, 95% CI = 201-355), Spain (237, 95% CI = 166-312) and Portugal (211, 95% CI = 162-255) had the highest heat-related mortality rates. Relative to population, we estimated 56% more heat-related deaths in women than men, with higher rates in men aged 0-64 (+41%) and 65-79 (+14%) years, and in women aged 80+ years (+27%). Our results call for a reevaluation and strengthening of existing heat surveillance platforms, prevention plans and long-term adaptation strategies.
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Temperatura Alta , Mortalidade , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Europa (Continente)/epidemiologia , Itália/epidemiologia , Estações do Ano , Espanha/epidemiologia , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Idoso , Recém-Nascido , Lactente , Pré-Escolar , Criança , Adolescente , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
Biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with rhinitis and/or asthma are urgently needed. Although some biologic biomarkers exist in specialist care for asthma, they cannot be largely used in primary care. There are no validated biomarkers in rhinitis or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) that can be used in clinical practice. The digital transformation of health and health care (including mHealth) places the patient at the center of the health system and is likely to optimize the practice of allergy. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) developed a Task Force aimed at proposing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) as digital biomarkers that can be easily used for different purposes in rhinitis and asthma. It first defined control digital biomarkers that should make a bridge between clinical practice, randomized controlled trials, observational real-life studies and allergen challenges. Using the MASK-air app as a model, a daily electronic combined symptom-medication score for allergic diseases (CSMS) or for asthma (e-DASTHMA), combined with a monthly control questionnaire, was embedded in a strategy similar to the diabetes approach for disease control. To mimic real-life, it secondly proposed quality-of-life digital biomarkers including daily EQ-5D visual analogue scales and the bi-weekly RhinAsthma Patient Perspective (RAAP). The potential implications for the management of allergic respiratory diseases were proposed.