Tuesday 5 July 2016

Red flags for intensive care in patients with asthma

Red flags for intensive care in patients with asthma

Dr K K Aggarwal
Illicit substance abuse and lower socioeconomic status indicate a higher risk for intensive care among patients hospitalized for asthma, says a new study published online June 18, 2016 in Respirology, the official journal of Asian Pacific Society of Respirology. Researchers from Australia investigated 482 asthma patients admitted to a tertiary metropolitan hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma between January 2010 and January 2014. Of these, 39 required intensive care. Twenty-six percent patients admitted to intensive care were found to use illicit drugs compared with only 7% of those admitted to the ward. For illicit users, nonadherence to preventer therapy was associated with an even higher risk of ICU admission. Socioeconomic index was lower in the group requiring intensive care admission. According to Dr Eli Dabscheck, senior author of the study, illicit drug use can lead to poor self-management of asthma, and predispose to life-threatening asthma attacks. Prof. Mark Hew from The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne said that a smoking history is usually elicited in patients with asthma. But this study highlights the “need to also ask them whether they use illicit substances, and work with them to address these risky behaviors”. (Source: Medical News Today)

No comments:

Post a Comment