Evaluation of Asthma Control in the Dominican Republic: a Clinical Perspective/ Evaluación del control del asma en República Dominicana: una perspectiva clínica monocéntrica

Introduction: Asthma is a respiratory pathology characterized by chronic and reversible airway inflammation. It is associated with modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors that influence its control and exacerbations. In countries such as Puerto Rico (22.8 %) and Cuba (23 %), the prevalence of ast...

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Main Authors: Liv Torres-Bueno, Allyson Rodriguez Roman, Luis Ariel López-Zabala, Emilia Pamela Almánzar-Santos, Loren Denisse Torres-Bueno, Anthony Gutiérrez-Martínez, Natalia García-Batista
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Respirar 2023-12-01
Series:Respirar
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Online Access:https://respirar.alatorax.org/index.php/respirar/article/view/184/150
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Summary:Introduction: Asthma is a respiratory pathology characterized by chronic and reversible airway inflammation. It is associated with modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors that influence its control and exacerbations. In countries such as Puerto Rico (22.8 %) and Cuba (23 %), the prevalence of asthma is significantly higher than the global prevalence (6.6 %). Objective: To estimate the asthma status of adult asthmatic patients who attended the emergency or consultation of a center in the Dominican Republic based on absenteeism and the frequency of exacerbations of the pathology. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted on patients diagnosed with asthma in a private clinic in the Dominican Republic. Data on asthma presentation and sociodemographic characteristics were collected. A sample size of 95 participants was used. Data was collected safely and analyzed using statistical methods: chi-square tests and logistic regression. Primary and secondary analyses were performed to evaluate asthma control and associated comorbidities. Results: We obtained a sample of 92 participants of whom, in all control groups, reported having interrupted the purchase of medication due to its cost. Regarding work absenteeism, patients with total control lost 2 working days and patients with very poor control were absent for 9.96 days (p = 0.011). It was also found that patients with longer diagnosis time presented low asthma control (p=0.075). Conclusion: This project highlights the importance of implementing a comprehensive approach to patients with asthma, in order to reduce the influence of factors that negatively affect the control of the pathology.
ISSN:2953-3414