The burden of mild asthma: Clinical burden and healthcare resource utilisation in the NOVELTY study
- PMID: 35952579
- DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2022.106863
The burden of mild asthma: Clinical burden and healthcare resource utilisation in the NOVELTY study
Abstract
Background: Patients with mild asthma represent a substantial proportion of the population with asthma, yet there are limited data on their true burden of disease. We aimed to describe the clinical and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) burden of physician-assessed mild asthma.
Methods: Patients with mild asthma were included from the NOVEL observational longiTudinal studY (NOVELTY; NCT02760329), a global, 3-year, real-world prospective study of patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from community practice (specialised and primary care). Diagnosis and severity were based on physician discretion. Clinical burden included physician-reported exacerbations and patient-reported measures. HCRU included inpatient and outpatient visits.
Results: Overall, 2004 patients with mild asthma were included; 22.8% experienced ≥1 exacerbation in the previous 12 months, of whom 72.3% experienced ≥1 severe exacerbation. Of 625 exacerbations reported, 48.0% lasted >1 week, 27.7% were preceded by symptomatic worsening lasting >3 days, and 50.1% required oral corticosteroid treatment. Health status was moderately impacted (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire score: 23.5 [standard deviation ± 17.9]). At baseline, 29.7% of patients had asthma symptoms that were not well controlled or very poorly controlled (Asthma Control Test score <20), increasing to 55.6% for those with ≥2 exacerbations in the previous year. In terms of HCRU, at least one unscheduled ambulatory visit for exacerbations was required by 9.5% of patients, including 9.2% requiring ≥1 emergency department visit and 1.1% requiring ≥1 hospital admission.
Conclusions: In this global sample representing community practice, a significant proportion of patients with physician-assessed mild asthma had considerable clinical burden and HCRU.
Keywords: Disease burden; Healthcare resource utilisation; Longitudinal studies; Mild asthma; Patient-reported measures.
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of competing interest SMG, RH, HM, ER, TH: Employees of AstraZeneca (AZ). CJ: Honoraria from AZ, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novartis and Teva for lectures. MS: Honoraria from AZ for participations in the NOVELTY study. RB: Grants from AZ and Genentech; personal fees from Avillion, AZ, Cipla and Theravance; leadership role in the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand. JMF: Grants from AZ, GSK and Sanofi-Regeneron; personal fees from AZ, GSK, Teva and Sanofi-Regeneron; honoraria from AZ, Teva, GSK and Sanofi-Regeneron for presenting at symposia. JMO: Consulting fees from ALK; honoraria from ALK, GSK and Mundipharma for independent medical educational presentations; independent research funding from AZ, Eversens and Sanofi-Genzyme; leadership role in FUNDACION SEAIC and the JIACI editorial board. HKR: Participation in advisory boards for AZ, Chiesi, GSK, Novartis and Sanofi-Genzyme; honoraria from AZ, BI, Chiesi, GSK, Sanofi-Genzyme and Teva for independent medical educational presentations; independent research funding from AZ, GSK and Novartis; consulting fees from Novartis; leadership role in the Global Institute for Asthma and the National Asthma Council. BC: Advisor for, and on the speakers’ bureau for AZ, BI, Genentech, GSK, Novartis, Regeneron and Sanofi-Genzyme.
