Oropharyngeal Swallowing Dynamic Findings in People with Asthma.

Airflow obstruction in people with asthma, similar to COPD, may interfere with swallowing, increasing the risk of food or liquid entrance into the lower airways, and favoring the uncontrolled disease. To describe the complaints and findings of the oropharyngeal swallowing mechanisms in patients with mild and severe asthma, a cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 135 participants with asthma were studied, of whom 97 had severe asthma and 38 had mild asthma. All subjects answered a questionnaire with demographic information, disease exacerbations, Asthma Control Questionnaire 6 (ACQ6-Juniper 1999), GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms Questionnaire (GERD-SQ-Fornari et al. 2004), and Eating Assessment Tool 10 (EAT-10-Gonçalves et al., 2013). The oral and pharyngeal swallowing assessment occurred via videofluoroscopic swallowing evaluation. The age range of the participants was from 19 to 80 years, with a predominance of females (78.6%). Uncontrolled asthma was observed in 50 (52%) of the patients with severe asthma and in 11 (29%) of the patients with mild asthma (ACQ6 > 1.5). The GERD-SQ and EAT-10 scores were similar in both groups. In the bivariate analysis, the group with severe asthma presented with more changes when compared to the group with mild asthma in the following events: atypical lingual movement during the swallowing of liquid in the volumes of 5 ml (p = 0.003) and 10 ml (p = 0.001), and solid (p = 0.009); oral transit time increased in swallowing of liquid in the volumes of 5 ml (p = 0.003) and 20 ml (p = 0.026); beginning of the pharyngeal swallowing phase below the mandibular ramus (p = 0.003); pharyngeal residue (p = 0.017) of solid consistency; laryngeal penetration of 5 ml (p = 0.050) and 20 ml (p = 0.032) of liquid; increased transition time between the oral and pharyngeal swallowing phases (p = 0.035) and increased pharyngeal transit time (p = 0.045) of solid consistency. Tracheal aspiration was observed only in the group with severe asthma. After the multivariate analysis, atypical tongue movement maintained a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Oropharyngeal swallowing alternations were frequent in the studied sample and more markedly present in patients with severe asthma. Multivariate regression revealed atypical lingual movement, which was greater in patients with severe asthma. The clinical significance of these findings should be further investigated.

An expert review on breaking barriers in severe asthma in Brazil: Time to act.

Currently, Brazil lacks a national asthma management program and is burdened with nearly 200,000 hospitalizations due to the disease per year and approximately 5 deaths per day. The purpose of this article was to analyze the current issues surrounding severe asthma in Brazil, as the status of diagnosis and treatment is largely unknown, and to provide feasible recommendations to elicit imminent action. A panel of Brazilian medical experts in the field of severe asthma was provided with a series of relevant questions to address prior to a multi-day conference. Within this conference, each narrative was discussed and edited by the entire group. Through numerous rounds of discussion consensus was achieved. In order to overcome barriers to adequate asthma treatment, this panel recommends specific initiatives that can be implemented in the short-term to decrease the burden of severe asthma in Brazil. With increasing healthcare costs and limited resources globally, there is an opportunity to implement these recommendations in other countries in order to achieve adequate asthma care. Severe asthma is a heterogeneous and complex disease with various phenotypes that requires strict attention for diagnosis and management. Although this disease affects only a small proportion of the population with asthma, it poses a great burden to healthcare systems. Thus, barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and management should be overcome as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Association between periodontitis and severe asthma in adults: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between periodontitis and severe asthma, with participants in treatment for severe asthma, controlled by therapy. METHODS: A case-control investigation was performed to compare 130 adults with severe asthma with 130 without asthma. Individuals with periodontitis were those with ≥4 teeth with ≥1 site with probing depth ≥4 mm, clinical attachment level ≥3 mm, and bleeding upon probing at the same site. Severe asthma diagnosis was based on Global Initiative for Asthma criteria. RESULTS: Association between exposure to periodontitis and severe asthma was found: ORcrude  = 2.98 (95% CI: 1.74-5.11). When confounders were considered, the association between exposure to periodontitis and severe asthma was maintained: ORadjusted  = 3.01-3.25. Individuals with periodontitis had about a threefold increased risk of severe asthma than those without periodontitis. Frequency of periodontitis in participants with severe asthma was greater than that of those without asthma (46.6% vs 22.3%, p ≤ .05). CONCLUSIONS: Association between periodontitis and severe asthma was observed. Further investigation is required to determine the direction of this relationship. It may be causal, but it may also be a consequence of the immunopathological process that characterizes asthma, or else, consequence of the medication used for treatment.

Effects of upper limb resistance exercise on aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and quality of life in COPD patients: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the effects of upper limb resistance exercise on the functional capacity, muscle function, and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. SETTING:: Clinical School of Physiotherapy in a Public University of Brazil. SUBJECTS:: 58 patients were recruited; of these, 7 were excluded and 51 individuals were enrolled. INTERVENTION:: Control group performed warm-up, aerobic exercise, inspiratory muscle training, and session stretching, followed by massage therapy. The treatment group performed warm-up, aerobic exercise, inspiratory muscle training, three sets of upper limb resistance exercise, and session stretching, followed by massage therapy. Total three sessions per week for eight weeks. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES:: 6-minute walk test, respiratory and peripheral muscle strength, dyspnea, and quality of life. Normality of the data was tested using the Shapiro-Wilk test; paired analysis of variance was used for intergroup analyses. RESULTS:: 51 patients (25 in the control group and 26 in the treatment group); 41% of the subjects were men. Mean forced expiratory volume was 2.6 ± 0.6 L, and mean body mass index was 27.3 ± 7.0 kg/m2. The upper limb resistance exercise resulted in significantly greater benefit in terms of exercise capacity (88.5 ± 81.9 m, P = 0.043), inspiratory muscle strength (22.9 ± 24.2 cm H2O, P = 0.001), upper limb muscle strength (2.3 ± 3.1 kg, P = 0.027), and quality of life scores (-15.3 ± 10.9 points, P = 0.000). CONCLUSION:: Upper limb resistance exercise improved the exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength, and quality of life.

School intervention in asthma for adolescents: it is time to act.

Asthma is a public health problem that is responsible for significant symptomatology and in extreme cases, premature deaths among adolescents. Lack of knowledge of the disease contributes to both its morbidity and mortality. In this manuscript, we discuss school interventions in asthma, in particular their impacts on improving knowledge of the disease and their ability to both make the school environment safer and reduce morbidity indicators. These interventions have been successful when implemented in higher income countries. Thus, to address the lack of interventions in low and middle income countries, we present an example of an alternative asthma intervention in the school curriculum developed in South America. The model has been proven to be both feasible and relatively inexpensive. It is easily structured by utilizing the staff of the school itself and is capable of being adapted to other countries.

Age is associated with asthma phenotypes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The relationship between age and asthma phenotypes is important as population is ageing, asthma is becoming common in older ages and recently developed treatments for asthma are guided by phenotypes. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether age is associated with specific asthma phenotypes. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. We included subjects with asthma of varied degrees of severity. Subjects underwent spirometry, skin prick test to aeroallergens, answered the Asthma Control Questionnaire and had blood samples collected. We performed binary logistic regression analysis to evaluate whether age is associated with asthma phenotypes. RESULTS: We enrolled 868 subjects. In comparison with subjects ≤ 40 years, older subjects had high odds of irreversible airway obstruction (from 41 to 64 years, OR: 1.83 (95% CI: 1.32-2.54); ≥65 years, OR: 3.45 (2.12-5.60)) and severe asthma phenotypes (from 41 to 64 years, OR: 3.23 (2.26-4.62); ≥65 years, OR: 4.55 (2.39-8.67)). Older subjects had low odds of atopic (from 41 to 64 years, OR: 0.56 (0.39-0.79); ≥65 years, OR: 0.47 (0.27-0.84)) and eosinophilic phenotypes (from 41 to 64 years, OR: 0.63 (0.46-0.84); ≥65 years, OR: 0.39 (0.24-0.64)). CONCLUSION: Older subjects with asthma have low odds of atopic and eosinophilic phenotypes, whereas they present high odds of irreversible airway obstruction and severe asthma.

Age is not associated with hospital admission or uncontrolled symptoms of asthma if proper treatment is offered.

BACKGROUND: Aging modifies immune response and respiratory physiology. Few studies evaluate the effect of age on asthma. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether age is associated with uncontrolled symptoms and hospital admissions due to asthma in a setting where patients were receiving proper treatment. METHODS: We enrolled 401 patients with uncontrolled asthma who were inhaled corticosteroid-naive. The follow-up period was 1 year. They received medications for asthma, performed spirometry, a symptoms questionnaire, and all emergency room visits and hospital admissions due to asthma were reported. The primary end point was hospital admission during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Baseline data demonstrated that subjects >55 years of age had a later onset of asthma and a longer duration of symptoms. Adjusted logistic regression models demonstrated that older age at enrollment did not predict asthma control in the follow-up: hospital admission due to asthma [odds ratio (OR) 1.7 and 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-4.7], symptoms score (OR 0.6 and 95% CI 0.3-1.1) and emergency room visits due to asthma (OR 0.9 and 95% CI 0.6-1.3). Older age was associated with worse lung function (OR 1.8 and 95% CI 1.1-3.3). CONCLUSION: This study allows us to conclude that older age is associated with a later onset of asthma and a longer duration of symptoms. Age does not predict hospital admissions or poor control of asthma symptoms if proper treatment is offered. It does, however, predict worse lung function.

Morphometric measures and desaturations: Proposal for an index with improved accuracy for obstructive sleep apnea screening.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the combined Kushida morphometric model (KMM) and the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) for screening individuals with obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS: Diagnostic test study with adults >18 years, both sexes, polysomnography, body mass index, neck circumference and intraoral measurements. RESULTS: 144 patients were invited; of these, 75 met the exclusion criteria. 55 individuals presented AHI ≥5 ev/h and 14, an AHI <5 ev/h. Three AHI cut-off points were evaluated: AHI ≥5, ≥15, ≥30 ev/h. When adopting the cut-off point of AHI ≥5 ev/h, the KMM showed sensitivity (SE) = 60.0 %, specificity (SP) = 71.4 % and 95 % confidence interval of the area under the curve (95 % CI of AUC) = 0.655; the combination of KMM and ODI (KMM + ODI) revealed SE = 73.0 %, SP = 71.4 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.779) and the ODI showed SE = 76.4 % and SP = 92.9 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.815). At the cut-off point of AHI ≥15 ev/h, the KMM presented SE = 64.1 %, SP = 76.7 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.735); the KMM + ODI showed SE = 82.1 %, SP = 83.3 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.895); and the ODI presented SE = 76.9 %, SP = 100.0 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.903). For the cut-off point of AHI ≥30 ev/h, the KMM showed SE = 56.0 %, SP = 77.2 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.722); the KMM + ODI revealed SE = 92.0 %, SP = 79.5 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.926); and the ODI showed SE = 92.0 %, SP = 90.9 % (95 % CI of AUC = 0.941). CONCLUSION: The combination of oxygen desaturation index and Kushida morphometric model improved the sensitivity and specificity of this model regardless of obstructive sleep apnea severity suggesting greater effectiveness in risk prediction.

Overprescription of short-acting ß2 agonists: reflections from the SABINA study in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To assess prescription patterns for short-acting b2 agonists (SABAs) and other asthma medications in asthma patients treated by specialists and participating in the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) study in Brazil. METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional study conducted at five sites in different regions of Brazil. The primary endpoints were to record SABA prescriptions and obtain data on over-the-counter (OTC) SABA purchases at the pharmacy. RESULTS: Data on 218 asthma patients were analyzed. Of those 218 patients, 80.3% were prescribed SABAs in addition to their maintenance therapy, with a mean of 11.2 SABA canisters in the previous 12 months. Of those patients, 71.4% were prescribed ≥ 3 canisters and 42.2% were prescribed ≥ 10 canisters. None of the patients were prescribed SABA monotherapy. A total of 14.2% of the patients reported purchasing SABAs OTC at a pharmacy without a prescription. Of those, 48.4% purchased ≥ 3 SABA canisters. A fixed-dose combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting b2 agonist was prescribed to 95.0% of the patients. In the year before the study visit, 45.0% of the patients received at least one course of oral corticosteroid burst treatment. Asthma was well controlled in 43.1% of the patients, partly controlled in 34.9%, and uncontrolled in 22.0%. Patients reported a mean of 1.1 severe asthma exacerbations, with 49.1% experiencing 1 or more severe exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS: Overprescription and OTC purchases of SABAs are common in Brazil, possibly leading to the need for courses of oral corticosteroids. The health care community should collaborate to implement evidence-based recommendations and promote health education to improve asthma management in Brazil.

Variants in interferon gamma inducible protein 16 (IFI16) and absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) genes that modulate inflammatory response are associated with periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the association of genetic variants of the interferon gamma inducible protein 16 (IFI16) and absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) genes with periodontitis. METHODS: The study involved 117 individuals with periodontitis and 389 without periodontitis, all Brazilians, miscegenated. Individuals with periodontitis presented at least 4 teeth with ≥ 1 site with probing depth ≥ 4 mm; clinical attachment level ≥ 3 mm on the same site and bleeding upon stimulus. Genotyping was performed using the Infinium Multi-Ethnic AMR/AFR-8 Bead Chip focused on Hispanic and African American populations with approximately 2 million markers of the human genome. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify associations in additive, dominant and recessive models adjusted for covariates age, obesity, mouth breathing, flossing, asthma, and ancestry. RESULTS: In IFI16, the rs75985579-A is positively associated with periodontitis in the additive (Odds Ratio adjusted (ORadjusted) 2.65, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.25-5.60, p value: 0.007) and dominant models (ORadjusted 2.56, 95%CI:1.13-5.81, p value: 0.017). In AIM2, the rs76457189-G, is associated negatively with periodontitis in two genetic models evaluated, additive (ORadjusted 0.21, 95%CI:0.05-0.94, p value: 0.022) and dominant (ORadjusted 0.21, 95%CI:0.05-0.94, p value: 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: These results have shown that variants in the IFI16 and AIM2 genes are associated with periodontitis. Individuals with at least one A (adenine) allele of the rs75985579 (IFI16) are more than twice as likely to have periodontitis, while individuals with the G (guanine) allele of rs76457189 (AIM2) are less likely to be diagnosed with periodontitis, providing a negative association with periodontitis.