[Mortality due to asthma in Spain, 1990-2015]. / Mortalidad por asma en España, 1990-2015.

INTRODUCTION: Asthma is a major public health problem affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. The importance of a disease can be measured by its prevalence, burden of care, and its morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To determine the mortality rates for asthma in Spain in the period 1990-2015. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The number of deaths attributed to asthma by gender and five-year age groups, together with the population as of July 1 between the years 1990-2015 were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics. Based on these data, the gross mortality rate per 100,000 global inhabitants was calculated, by gender and age groups. RESULTS: In 2015, 1,134 people (195 men and 939 women) died in Spain with a diagnosis of asthma as the main cause, with rates of 0.82 / 100,000 inhabitants compared to 2.58, respectively. The asthma mortality rates in Spain have remained stable for the last 25 years, and are slightly higher than those in the surrounding countries. While asthma mortality has declined by over 67% in males, it has increased by 32% in females. The deaths are concentrated in those over 65 years, and particularly over 80 years, where the value of death certificates is more limited. Mortality in the 5-35 years age groups is among the lowest in Europe.

[Fixed-dose combination fluticasone propionate/formoterol for the treatment of asthma: a review of its pharmacology, efficacy and tolerability]. / Combinación a dosis fija de fluticasona propionato/formoterol fumarato para el tratamiento del asma: una revisión de la farmacología, eficacia y tolerabilidad.

The fixed-dose combination fluticasone propionate/formoterol (FPF) is a novel combination of a widely known and used inhaled glucocorticoid (IGC) and a long-acting ß2-adrenergic agonist (LABA), available for the first time in a single device. This fixed-dose combination of FPF has a demonstrated efficacy and safety profile in clinical trials compared with its individual components and other fixed-dose combinations of IGC/LABA and is indicated for the treatment of persistent asthma in adults and adolescents. FPF is available in a wide range of doses that can adequately cover the therapeutic steps recommended by treatment guidelines, constituting a fixed-dose combination of GCI/LABA that is effective, rapid, well tolerated and with a reasonable acquisition cost. Various assessment agencies of the Spanish Autonomous Communities consider this combination to be an appropriate alternative therapy for asthma in the primary care setting.

[Quality of life of patients with asthma on beclomethasone/formoterol. Cost-utility analysis]. / Calidad de vida del paciente asmático con beclometasona/formoterol. Análisis de coste-utilidad.

AIM: To perform a cost-utility analysis on asthmatic patients on beclomethasone/formoterol fixed combination in Primary Health Care. Material and methods Non-probability sampling was used to select a group of asthmatic patients with moderate/severe persistent severity (GEMA 2009), treated with beclomethasone/formoterol fixed combination, over 18 years, had given their informed consent. The study observation period was 6 months. The variables studied were: age, sex, duration of disease, health resources used, analysis of health related quality of life by EQ-5D and SF-36, and the specific Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. For the qualitative variables, the frequency and percentages were calculated, and for the quantitative variables, the mean, SD and 95% CI. Chi-square, Student t-test and ANOVA were used for statistical inference. Comparisons were made with a statistical significance of 0.05. RESULTS: Of the 64 patients that completed the study, 59.4% were female. The mean age was 49 years, and mean disease duration was 93 months. For asthma control, 53% of patients had a prescription pattern of one/12h. All health related quality of life scales were modified with respect to the baseline and the differences were statistically significant. Our patients had a better health related quality of life than Spanish asthma cohort. The incremental cost utility beclomethasone/formoterol versus usual treatment option was € 6,256/QALY.

[Inhaled in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy update]. / Actualización de la terapia inhalada en la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.

Knowledge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has increased significantly in recent years, and today we have a more comprehensive concept of the disease. Additionally, drug development allows having a wide range of therapeutic options. The inhaled route is the choice, as it allows drugs to act directly on the bronchial tree. In the past few months, new molecules and devices have been developed that increases our options when treating, but also our doubts when choosing one or the other, so an update of inhaled medications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is necessary. The different types of inhalers currently available are reviewed in this article, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, in order to determine how to choose the right device.

[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Morbimortality and healthcare burden]. / Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica: morbimortalidad e impacto sanitario.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an enormous public health problem and of growing importance due to its high prevalence, elevated morbimortality, and socioeconomic costs. Many Spanish epidemiological studies report a prevalence of 10% of the adult population, with its growth appearing to have stabilised. Nevertheless, over 75% of cases are still underdiagnosed. The diagnosis of mild and moderate obstruction is associated with a higher survival and lower costs (14 years and €9,730) compared to 10 years survival and €43,785 of patients diagnosed in the severe obstruction phase. COPD was the fourth cause of death in Spain in 2011, although the adjusted mortality rates have decreased more than 20% in the last decade, particularly in males. Patients with advanced COPD die from it, but patients with mild or moderate COPD die due to cardiovascular diseases or cancer (mainly of the lung). It is estimated that the annual cost of the disease is around 3,000 million Euros. These increase with the spirometric severity, and is mainly associated with exacerbations (almost 60% of the direct costs). Comorbidity, that is the presence of diseases that coexist with the studied disease, is higher in patients with COPD than in the general population and affects health results.