[Pulmonary embolism and difficult-to-treat asthma]

Abstract

Asthma control is a key point in patient management. GINA's most recent report emphasises the need to investigate uncontrolled asthma, of which non-compliance with treatment, COPD, smoking, chronic sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and obesity are the usual causes. The aim of this work is to evaluate the role of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in cases of difficult- -to-treat asthma. We reviewed the case reports of patients with severe persistent asthma followed in our Asthma Outpatients Clinic between 2004 and 2006. We selected the ones that maintained uncontrolled disease despite an optimal therapeutical approach and investigated the causes. In this group (n=254), 28 (11%) had severe persistent asthma and their mean age was 44 +/- SD18 years old. 86% were females. Of these, 57% (n=16) had uncontrolled disease: 35% (n=6) due to non-compliance with treatment; 29% (n=5) pulmonary thrombombolism (scintigraphic confirmation); 12% (n=2) severe rhinosinusitis; 6% (n=1) hypereosinophilic syndrome; 6% (n=1) persistent allergen exposure and 6% (n=1) are still being investigated. Patients with TPE (mean age 56 +/- SD9 years old; 80% females; 80% Caucasians) were diagnosed with asthma as adults (mean age 37 +/- SD14 years old). The mean time until the diagnosis of TPE was 18 +/- SD12 years. Predisposing factors for TPE were venous insufficiency (40%), hypertension (40%) and deficit of functional protein C and S (20%). All these patients received anticoagulant therapy (80% are still medicated). It should be noted that after the beginning of anticoagulants, 40% of the patients achieved control of their asthma and 40% have partially controlled disease. There were no hospital admissions for asthma exacerbations after the beginning of anticoagulation in this group. This study supports the inclusion of TPE in the group of comorbidities to consider while investigating uncontrolled asthma.