• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.34-45
• /
• 1994

The author reviewed psychosomatic aspects of bronchial asthma including psychological aspect of bronchial asthma, patients' reactions to illness, reactions of therapists and families, effect of bronchial asthma on mental function, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. The therapists' understanding of these aspects is likely to be helpful in their predicting and understanding the type of adaptation their asthmatic patients are making to their illness. Thus, the therapists need to recognize the asthmatics' psychological needs. They also should understand the vicious cycle of anxiety-hyperventilation-panic-fear-avoidance in patients with bronchial asthma and should try to break this cycle. To make it possible, the patients' panic-fear level should be assessed and sometimes it will require psychiatrists' advice. On the other hand, the asthmatics should be trained to be shaped to relate subjective feeling of pulmonary function with objective pulmonary measures, which will enable these patients to perceive their early symptoms and to cope with asthma attack effectively. The therapists need to pay attention to their emotion during evaluation and treatment of patients with bronchial asthma, because they are less likely to perceive stress and express their emotion.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.1
• /
• pp.11-20
• /
• 2017

Approximately one in four patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have asthmatic features consisting of wheezing, airway hyper-responsiveness or atopy. The Global initiative for Asthma/Globalinitiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease committee recently labelled these patients as having asthma-COPD overlap syndrome or ACOS. ACOS also encompasses patients with asthma, ${\geq}40$ years of age, who have been cigarette smokers (more than 5-10 pack years) or have had significant biomass exposure, and demonstrate persistent airflow limitation defined as a post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$)/forced vital capacity of <70%. Data over the past 30 years indicate that patients with ACOS have greater burden of symptoms including dyspnea and cough and show higher risk of COPD exacerbations and hospitalizations than those with pure COPD or pure asthma. Patients with ACOS also have increased risk of rapid $FEV_1$ decline and COPD mortality. Paradoxically, experimental evidence to support therapeutic decisions in ACOS patients is lacking because traditionally, patients with ACOS have been systematically excluded from therapeutic COPD and asthma trials to maintain homogeneity of the study population. In this study, we summarize the current understanding of ACOS, focusing on definitions, epidemiology and patient prognosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.85 no.1
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 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.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.171-180
• /
• 2020

With the recent increase in asthma, asthma has become recognized as one of the diseases. The perception that bronchial asthma is a chronic disease and requires treatment has been strengthened. In addition, asthma is recognized as a dangerous disease due to environmental changes and efforts are made to minimize these risks. However, the environmental impact on asthma is hardly a factor that individuals in asthmatic patients can cope with. Therefore, this study was conducted to see if the asthma disease could be replaced by the individual efforts of asthma patients. In particular, since the management of asthma is important during adolescence, we conducted research on asthma in teenagers. Utilizing support vector machines, artificial neural networks and deep learning techniques that have recently drawn attention, we propose models to predict the asthma of teenagers. The study also provides guidelines to avoid factors that can cause asthma in teenagers.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.175-184
• /
• 1999

Background: Bronchial asthma is characterized by chronic eosinophilic inflammatory airway disease associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness and reversible airway obstruction. Bronchial inflammation in asthma may depend in part on the activation of T helper lymphocytes that elaborate proinflammatory cytokines. T helper (Th) lymphocytes can be divided into two categories; Th1 lymphocytes, which secrete IL-2, IL-12 and IFN-$\gamma$, and Th2 lymphocytes, which secrete IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10. Th2 lymphocytes appear to induce allergic responses, whereas Th1 lymphocytes induce delayed-type hypersensitivity response. Some infections, such as tuberculosis, cultivate a Th1 immunological environment and inhibit Th2 lymphocytes function. The presence of such infections might inhibit Th2 immune responses and thus protect development of atopic diseases. Method: 15 patients with allergic bronchial asthma, 10 patients with intrinsic bronchial asthma, and 10 healthy volunteers were studied. The serum concentrations of IFN-$\gamma$, IL-12, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 were measured by ELISA method and tuberculin skin test was estimated in different groups. Results: The positive response rates of tuberculin test were 46.7% in patients with allergic asthma, 100% in patients with intrinsic asthma and 60% in normal controls. The positive response rates were significantly lower in patients with allergic asthma than those of in patients with intrinsic asthma (p<0.05). Degree of responses to tuberculin test were $12.0{\pm}9.6mm$ in patients with allergic asthma, $18.4{\pm}4.5mm$ in patients with intrinsic asthma and $10.9{\pm}8.8mm$ in normal controls. The degree of responses were significantly reduced in patients with allergic asthma than those of patients with intrinsic asthma (p<0.05). The serum levels of IL-5 in patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than in patients with intrinsic asthma and normal controls (p<0.05), although it was insignificant. the serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in patients with allergic asthma were higher than that of intrinsic asthma and normal controls. The serum levels of IL-12 and IFN-$\gamma$ in patients with allergic asthma and intrinsic asthma were significantly lower than those in normal controls(p<0.05). The serum levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and peripheral blood eosinophile counts in patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than those in normal controls. Peripheral blood esinophil counts had a significant correlation with the serum levels of total IgE, IL-5 and IL-10 in patients with allergic asthma (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results have showed that Th1 lymphocyte functions were lowered and Th2 lymphocyte functions were elevated in patients with allergic asthma than those in normal controls. Suppression of Th1 lymphocyte functions by activation of Th2 lymphocyte might be one of the important aspects of pathogenesis in allergic bronchial asthma.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.85 no.3
• /
• pp.227-236
• /
• 2022

Background: The use of low-dose inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol as reliever monotherapy has recently been recommended in the asthma treatment guidelines. However, the efficacy of this treatment strategy has not yet been determined during the stepping-down period in moderate asthma. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of reducing treatment to as-needed budesonide-formoterol (BFM) in moderate asthma with complete remission. Methods: We randomly assigned 31 patients (8 males and 23 females with a mean age of 57.2 years) with complete remission of asthma by inhaled BFM (160/4.5 ㎍) twice daily to receive BFM (160/4.5 ㎍) as needed (16 patients), or budesonide (BUD) (200 ㎍) twice daily (15 patients). The study was an open-label study done for 48 weeks, with the primary outcome as the cumulative percentages of patients with treatment failure (asthma exacerbation or loss of asthma control or lack of satisfaction after using medications) in the two groups. Results: Six patients (42%) using as-needed BFM had treatment failure, as compared with three patients (21.4%) using BUD maintenance (hazards ratio for as-needed BFM, 1.77; 95% confidential interval, 0.44-7.12; p=0.41). The changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second were -211.3 mL with as-needed BFM versus -97.8 mL with BUD maintenance (difference, 113.5 mL; p=0.75) and the change in fractional exhaled nitric oxide was significantly higher in both groups, at 8.68 parts per billion (ppb) in the as-needed BFM group and 2.5 ppb. in the BUD maintenance group (difference, 6.18 ppb; p=0.049). Conclusion: Compared with BUD maintenance, there were no significant differences in treatment failure rate in patients who received as-needed BFM during the stepping down period in moderate asthma. However, they showed reduced lung function and relapsed airway inflammation. The results are limited by imprecision, and further large RCTs are needed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.71 no.2
• /
• pp.106-113
• /
• 2011

Background: While asthma control is defined as the extent to which the various manifestations of asthma are reduced by treatment, current guidelines of asthma recommend assessment of asthma control without consideration of airway inflammation. Our aim was to investigate the relationships between fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a reliable marker of airway inflammation, and levels of asthma control in patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Methods: We enrolled 71 adult patients with asthma who had been treated with ICS for more than four months. FeNO was measured and spirometry was performed at the time of enrollment. Asthma control was assessed (a) by the physician based on the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines, (b) by the patients, and (c) by using the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Statistical analyses were done to analyze the relationships between (i) FeNO and (ii) measures of asthma control and clinical indices for asthma manifestations. Results: There was no significant difference in FeNO levels between the three groups according to levels of asthma control (controlled, partly controlled and uncontrolled) as determined by the physician (p=0.81), or by the patients (p=0.81). In addition, FeNO values were not significantly correlated with the ACT scores (r=0.031, p=0.807), while FeNO showed a correlation with peripheral blood eosinophil counts (p<0.001). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that FeNO levels are not associated with measures of asthma control in patients treated with ICS. Information on airway inflammation from FeNO concentrations seems to be unrelated to levels of asthma control

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.2
• /
• pp.113-135
• /
• 2017

Asthma is traditionally regarded as a chronic airway disease, and recent literature proves its heterogeneity, based on distinctive clusters or phenotypes of asthma. In defining such asthma clusters, the nature of comorbidity among patients with asthma is poorly understood, by assuming no causal relationship between asthma and other comorbid conditions, including both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. However, emerging evidence suggests that the status of asthma significantly affects the increased susceptibility of the patient to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Specifically, the impact of asthma on susceptibility to noncommunicable diseases such as chronic systemic inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), may provide an important insight into asthma as a disease with systemic inflammatory features, a conceptual understanding between asthma and asthma-related comorbidity, and the potential implications on the therapeutic and preventive interventions for patients with asthma. This review discusses the currently under-recognized clinical and immunological phenotypes of asthma; specifically, a higher risk of developing a systemic inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and their implications, on the conceptual understanding and management of asthma. Our discussion is divided into three parts: literature summary on the relationship between asthma and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis; potential mechanisms underlying the association; and implications on asthma management and research.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.617-625
• /
• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the asthma management educational program given to the allergic asthmatics receiving immunotherapy due to house dust mite on the disease related to knowledge, stress, and self-efficacy. Method: The subjects of this study were the patients received immunotherapy to house dust mite at a week interval after being diagnosed for house dust mite allergic asthma at the respiratory center of a hospital affiliated to the university. They were divided into the experimental group of 29 patients who received asthma management education, the control group of 32 patients, and 61 patients in total. Experimental treatment, as an asthma management educational program, was the group education of one time and the reinforcement education of three times with environmental therapy and immunotherapy to house dust mite. Results: The results revealed that the improvement in disease related knowledge, the improvement in self-efficacy and the decrease in stress, were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. Conclusions: The asthma management educational program had an effect on improving the disease related knowledge and self-efficacy, and decreasing the stress of the patients asthmatics allergic to house dust mite.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.331-335
• /
• 1995

Asthma is a disease of the airways that is characterized by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to a multiplicity of stimuli. A number of causes have been postulated for the increased airway reactivity of asthma is conservative as beta-adrenergic agonist, methylxanthines, glucocorticoids, anticholinergics and mast cell stabilizing agent. Stellate ganglion block for the treatment of bronchial asthma has its controversies. Stellate ganglion block was performed for the treatment of 3 patients with bronchial asthma. After stellate ganglion blocks, dyspnea, coughing and wheezing was markedly reduced. Lung function test improved with 1 st case. Two asthma cases were able to discontinue medication for asthma. No severe aggrevation of bronchial symptoms were noted after stellate ganglion blocks. It suggested that stellate ganglion block can be safely performed on bronchial asthmatic patients.