• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제85권1호
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• pp.11-17
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• 2022

Background: In asthma, consistent control of chronic airway inflammation is crucial, and the use of asthma-controller medication has been emphasized. Our purpose in this study is to compare the incidence of acute exacerbation and healthcare costs related to the use of asthma-controller medication. Methods: By using data collected by the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we compared one-year clinical outcomes and medical costs from July 2014 to June 2015 (follow-up period) between two groups of patients with asthma who received different prescriptions for recommended asthma-controller medication (inhaled corticosteroids or leukotriene receptor antagonists) at least once from July 2013 to June 2014 (assessment period). Results: There were 51,757 patients who satisfied our inclusion criteria. Among them, 13,702 patients (26.5%) were prescribed a recommended asthma-controller medication during the assessment period. In patients using a recommended asthma-controller medication, the frequency of acute exacerbations decreased in the follow-up period, from 2.7% to 1.1%. The total medical costs of the controller group decreased during the follow-up period compared to the assessment period, from $3,772,692 to $1,985,475. Only 50.9% of patients in the controller group used healthcare services in the follow-up period, and the use of asthma-controller medication decreased in the follow-up period. Conclusion: Overall, patients using a recommended asthma-controller medication showed decreased acute exacerbation and reduced total healthcare cost by half.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.464-470
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• 2000

연구배경 : 기관지 천식은 기도의 과민성과 만성 염증반응을 보이는 질환이다. 저자들은 sIL-6R 및 IL-6 혈중치의 변화를 측정하여 이들의 변화가 증상 악화시 기관지 천식의 병인과 판련이 있는지에 대하여 연구하고자 하였다. 방 법 : 1998년 3월 부터 1999년 3월까지 기관지 천식으로 치료중인 환자중에서 증상 악화로 응급실을 경유하여 전북대학교 병원 내과에 입원한 급성 천식 환자 78예와 무증상 천식 환자 15예 그리고 정상인 10예를 대상으로 하였다. 환자의 병력과 임상 소견, 피부반응검사, 그리고 IgE 및 호산구수를 측정하고 endogen ELISA Kit ($Quantikine^{(R)}sIL$-6R, IL-6)를 이용하여 sIL-6R, IL-6을 측정하였다. 결 과 : 혈청내 IL-6와 sIL-6R농도는 급성 천식 환자에서 대조군에 비해 유의 있는 증가를 보였으며, 무증상 천식 환자와 비교할 때 IL-6의 의미있는 증가를 보였다. 또한 급성 천식 환자에서 혈청내 IL-6와 sIL-6R간에 유의한 상관 관계가 있었다. 하지만 급성 천식환자에서의 IgE와 호산구수는 IL-6 및 sIL-6R와 유의한 상관관계가 없었다. 결 론 : 혈청내 IL-6는 급성 천식의 병태 생리에 관여 할 수 있으며, IL-6와 sIL-6R의 혈청치는 기도 염증의 중증도를 예측하는 표식자로 유용할 것으로 생각된다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제51권6호
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• pp.530-539
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• 2001

연구배경 : 기관지 천식은 기도의 재구성과 관련된 기도의 염증성 질환이다. Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) 는 혈관생성과 염증반응에 관여하는 강력하고 다양한 기능의 사이토카인이며 Matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)은 기관지 천식에서 기도의 재구성을 일으키는 주요 단백분해 효소이다. 그러나, 아직 급성 기관지 천식에서 VEGF의 역할 및 VEGF와 MMP-9의 관련성등에 관한 보고는 거의 없다. 저자들은 급성 기관지 천식에서 VEGF가 기관지 염증반응에 관여하는지를 조사하였고 또한 객담내 VEGF 발현 정도와 MMP-9의 관련성도 같이 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 저자들은 안정상태 및 급성천식상태 환자에서 객담내 VEGF와 MMP-9의 양을 효소 면역측정과 zymography 분석으로 측정하였고 또한 기관지 천식의 자발 발작시에도 측정하였다. 결 과 : 기관지 천식 환자군에서 안정상태의 천식환자군이나 건강 대조군보다 객담내 VEGF 양이 유의있게 높음을 알 수 있었고 또한 천식 발작시에는 안정시보다 더 유의있게 높았으며 천식치료후 점차 감소하였다. 급성 천식 환자들에서 객담내 VEGF농도는 호중구및 호산구들 수와 의의있게 관련이 있었고 또한 객담내 VEGF와 MMP-9의 농도사이에 유의있는 상관관계가 있음을 알 수 있었다. 결 론 : 급성 기관지 천식 환자에서 VEGF의 과도발현은 기도 염증반응과 관련이 있으며 또한 MMP-9과도 밀접한 연관성이 관련성이 있는 것으로 사료된다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제86권3호
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• pp.151-157
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• 2023

The introduction of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for the management of asthma has led to a decrease in acute exacerbation of asthma. However, there are concerns regarding the safety of long-term ICS use, particularly pneumonia. Growing evidence indicates that ICS use is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas the risk in patients with asthma remains unclear. This review discusses the effect of ICS on pneumonia among patients with asthma to update the existing literature. Asthma is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this association, including that asthma impairs the clearance of bacteria owing to chronic inflammation. Therefore, controlling airway inflammation with ICS may prevent the occurrence of pneumonia in asthma. In addition, two meta-analyses investigating randomized control trials showed that ICS use was associated with a protective effect against pneumonia in asthma.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
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• 제6권6호
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• pp.277-278
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• 2018

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.309-316
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• 2006

Objectives: Korean epidemiological studies have used reduced samples according to the subject's characteristics, such as the health services provided, the historical note with asthma, and age, to examine the acute effect of air pollution on asthma using the Korean National Health Insurance records. However, there have been few studies on whether the effects shown in these reduced samples are different from those of all samples. This study compared the effects of air pollution on asthma attacks in three reduced samples with those of entire samples. Methods: The air pollution data for $PM_{10},\;CO,\;SO_2,\;NO_2,\;and\;O_3$, and weather conditions including temperature, relative humidity, and air pressure in Seoul, 2002, were obtained from outdoor monitoring stations in Seoul. The emergency hospital visits with an asthma attack in Seoul, 2002 were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance records. From these, the reduced samples were created by health service, historical notes with asthma, and age. A case-crossover design was adopted and the acute effects of air pollution on asthma were estimated after adjusting for weather, time trend, and seasonality. The model was applied to each reduced sample and the entire sample. Results: With respect to the health service, the effects on outpatients were similar to those for the total sample but were different for inpatients. These similar effect sizes were also observed in the reduced samples according to the historical note with asthma and age. The relative risks of $PM_{10},\;CO,\;SO_2,\;NO_2,\;and\;O_3$, among the reduced and entire samples were 1.03, 1.04-1.05, 1.02-1.03, 1.04-1.06, and 1.10-1.17, respectively. Conclusions: There was no clear evidence to show a difference between the reduced samples and the entire samples.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제85권4호
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• pp.283-288
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• 2022

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by varying and recurrent symptoms, reversible airway obstruction, and bronchospasm. In this paper, clinical important studies on asthma published between March 2021 and February 2022 were reviewed. A study on the relationship between asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis, bronchiectasis, and hormone replacement therapy was published. A journal on the usefulness of fractional exhaled nitric oxide for the prediction of severe acute exacerbation was also introduced. Studies on the effect of inhaler, one of the most important treatments for asthma, were published. Studies on the control of severe asthma continued. Phase 2 and 3 studies of new biologics were also published. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been prolonged, many studies have explored the prevalence and mortality of COVID-19 infection in asthma patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제49권6호
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• pp.581-588
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• 2006

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airway associated with increased bronchial hyperresponsiveness that leads to recurrent episodes of cough, wheezing, breathless, chest tightness. According the recent studies, repeated airway inflammation leads to structural changes so called 'airway remodeling' and associated with decreased pulmonary function. Airway remodeling begins form the early stage of asthma and the early diagnosis and management is very important to prevent airway remodeling. Medication for asthma can be classified into acute symptom reliever and chronic controller. Short acting beta2 agonist is a well-known reliever that reduced asthma symptoms within minutes. Controllers should be taken daily as a long-term basis to control airway inflammation. Inhaled corticosteroid(ICS) is the most effective controller in current use. However, in some patients ICS monotherapy is not sufficient to control asthma. In those cases, other medications such as long acting beta2 agonist, leukotriene modifier or sustained-release theophylline should be added to ICS, which called Add-on-Therapy. Combination inhaler devices are easy to use. Oral leukotriene modifier has a good compliance especially in children. Finally, as asthma is a chronic disease, the development of on-going partnership among health care professionals, the patients, and the patients' family is necessary for the effective management of asthma.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.29-34
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• 2014

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of year-round respiratory viral infection in children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and the relationship between respiratory viral infection and allergen sensitization in exacerbating asthma. Methods: We investigated the sources for acute LRTIs in children admitted to our hospital from May 2010 to April 2011. The 6 most common respiratory viruses were isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirate using multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 309 children; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (AV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), influenza virus (IFV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), rhinovirus (RV). Atopic sensitization was defined if more than 1 serum specific Immunoglobulin E level measured using UniCAP (Pharmacia) was over 0.35 IU/mL. Results: RSV was the most common pathogen of bronchiolitis in hospitalized children through the year. RV or IFV infection was more prevalent in asthma exacerbations compared to other LRTIs. AV and hMPV were more likely to cause pneumonia. RV and IFV were associated with asthma exacerbations in children with atopic sensitization, but not in nonatopic children. Conclusion: RV and IFV are associated with hospitalization for asthma exacerbation in children with atopic sensitization.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.1593-1597
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• 2006

We hope to evaluate the effects of Gami-Choakwiyeum (GCKY) on the PPAR-${\gamma}$’ in the OVA induced asthma mouse model. Female BALB/c mice, 8 weeks of age and free of murine specific pathogens were used. Mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of OVA emulsified in aluminum hydroxide in a total volume of 200 ${\mu}{\ell}$ on one day and 14 days. On 21, 22, and 23 days after the initial intraperitoneal injection of OVA, the mice were challenged using an ultrasonic nebulizer. GCKY was administered 7 times by oral gavage at 24 hour intervals fromdays 19 after intraperitoneal injection of OVA. Bronchoalveolar lavage was perfromed 72 hours after the last challenge, and total cell numbers in the BAL fluid were counted. Also, the level of PPAR-${\gamma}$ of normal and OVA-induced asthma moused with/without administration of GCKY were measured by Western blot analysis. For the histologic examination, the specimens were stained with hematoxylin 2 and eosin-Y.(H & E). Numbers of total cells were increased significantly at 72 h after OVA inhalation compared with numbers of total cells in the normal and the administration of GCKY. Especially, the increased numbers of eosinophils in BAL fluids after OVA inhalation were significantly increased. However, the numbers of eosinophils reduced by the administration of GCKY. Western blot analysis revealed that PPAR-${\gamma}$ levels in nuclear level were increased slightly after OVA inhalation compared with the levels in the normal group. After the administration of GCKY, PPAR-${\gamma}$ levels in cytosolic and nuclear levels at 72 h after OVA inhalation were markedly increased. On pathologic examination, there were many acute inflammatory cells around the alveoli, bronchioles, and airway lumen of mice with OVA-induced asthma compared with inflammatory cells in the normal group. However, acute inflammatory cells around alveoli, bronchioles, and airway lumen markedly decreased after administration of GCKY, GCKY can increase a PPAR-${\gamma}$ level and could be an effective treatment in asthma patients through the PPAR-${\gamma}$ mechanism for bronchial asthma.