Temporal Asthma Patterns Using Repeated Questionnaires over 13 Years in a Large French Cohort of Women.

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Temporal Asthma Patterns Using Repeated Questionnaires over 13 Years in a Large French Cohort of Women.

PLoS One. 2013;8(5):e65090

Authors: Sanchez M, Bousquet J, Le Moual N, Jacquemin B, Clavel-Chapelon F, Humbert M, Kauffmann F, Tubert-Bitter P, Varraso R

Abstract
Variable expression is one aspect of the heterogeneity of asthma. We aimed to define a variable pattern, which is relevant in general health epidemiological cohorts. Our objectives were to assess whether: 1) asthma patterns defined using simple asthma questions through repeated measurements could reflect disease variability 2) these patterns may further be classified according to asthma severity/control. Among 70,428 French women, we used seven questionnaires (1992-2005) and a comprehensive reimbursement database (2004-2009) to define three reliable asthma patterns based on repeated positive answers to the ever asthma attack question: “never asthma” (n?=?64,061); “inconsistent” (“yes” followed by “no”, n?=?3,514); “consistent” (fully consistent positive answers, n?=?2,853). The “Inconsistent” pattern was related to both long-term (childhood-onset asthma with remission in adulthood) and short-term (reported asthma attack in the last 12 months, associated with asthma medication) asthma variability, showing that repeated questions are relevant markers of the variable expression of asthma. Furthermore, in this pattern, the number of positive responses (1992-2005) predicted asthma drug consumption in subsequent years, a marker of disease severity. The “Inconsistent” pattern is a phenotype that may capture the variable expression of asthma. Repeated answers, even to a simple question, are too often neglected.

PMID: 23741466 [PubMed – in process]

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Hay Fever and Asthma as Markers of Atopic Immune Response and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Three Large Cohort Studies.

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Hay Fever and Asthma as Markers of Atopic Immune Response and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Three Large Cohort Studies.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 Mar 19;

Authors: Jacobs EJ, Gapstur SM, Newton CC, Turner MC, Campbell PT

Abstract
BACKGROUND: In a previous analysis of 12 cancers in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) cohort including follow-up from 1982-2000, having both hay fever and asthma was associated with lower colorectal cancer mortality. The combination of these allergic conditions may be a marker for allergy-related immune responses that could inhibit colorectal carcinogenesis.METHODS: We examined the association of having both hay fever and asthma with colorectal cancer mortality among 1,023,191 participants in CPS-I, followed from 1959-1972, and 1,102,092 participants in CPS-II, now followed from 1982-2008. We also examined associations with colorectal cancer incidence among 174,917 participants in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort, a subgroup of CPS-II followed from 1992-2007. During the follow-up, there were 5,644 colorectal cancer deaths in CPS-I, 13,558 colorectal cancer deaths in CPS-II, and 3,365 incident colorectal cancer cases in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).RESULTS: RRs for colorectal cancer mortality associated with having both asthma and hay fever, compared with neither condition, were 0.90 (95% CI, 0.74-1.09) in CPS-I, 0.79 (95% CI, 0.69-0.91) in CPS-II, and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.92) when results from both cohorts were combined in a meta-analysis. The corresponding RR for colorectal cancer incidence in the CPS-II Nutrition Cohort was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.71-1.14).CONCLUSION: These results support an association between having both hay fever and asthma and modestly lower colorectal cancer mortality.Impact: Research examining other potential markers of allergy-related immune response in relation to colorectal cancer is warranted. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(4); 1-9. ©2013 AACR.

PMID: 23513040 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Gender differences in prevalence, diagnosis and incidence of allergic and non-allergic asthma: a population-based cohort.

Gender differences in prevalence, diagnosis and incidence of allergic and non-allergic asthma: a population-based cohort.

Thorax. 2012 Feb 14;

Authors: Leynaert B, Sunyer J, Garcia-Esteban R, Svanes C, Jarvis D, Cerveri I, Dratva J, Gislason T, Heinrich J, Janson C, Kuenzli N, de Marco R, Omenaas E, Raherison C, Gómez Real F, Wjst M, Zemp E, Zureik M, Burney PG, Anto JM, Neukirch F

Abstract
BackgroundAlthough women with severe non-allergic asthma may represent a substantial proportion of adults with asthma in clinical practice, gender differences in the incidence of allergic and non-allergic asthma have been little investigated in the general population.MethodsGender differences in asthma prevalence, reported diagnosis and incidence were investigated in 9091 men and women randomly selected from the general population and followed up after 8-10 years as part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. The protocol included assessment of bronchial responsiveness, IgE specific to four common allergens and skin tests to nine allergens.ResultsAsthma was 20% more frequent in women than in men over the age of 35 years. Possible under-diagnosis of asthma appeared to be particularly frequent among non-atopic individuals, but was as frequent in women as in men. The follow-up of subjects without asthma at baseline showed a higher incidence of asthma in women than in men (HR 1.94; 95% CI 1.40 to 2.68), which was not explained by differences in smoking, obesity or lung function. More than 60% of women and 30% of men with new-onset asthma were non-atopic. The incidence of non-allergic asthma was higher in women than in men throughout all the reproductive years (HR 3.51; 95% CI 2.21 to 5.58), whereas no gender difference was observed for the incidence of allergic asthma.ConclusionsThis study shows that female sex is an independent risk factor for non-allergic asthma, and stresses the need for more careful assessment of possible non-allergic asthma in clinical practice, in men and women.

PMID: 22334535 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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