Does personality influence how people with asthma manage their condition?

Objective: Personality traits have been found to be associated with the management of chronic disease, however, there is limited research on these relationships with respect to asthma. Asthma management and asthma control are often suboptimal, representing a barrier to patients achieving good health outcomes. This explorative study aimed to investigate the relationship between correlates of asthma management and personality traits. Methods: Participants completed a postal survey comprising validated self-report questionnaires measuring personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experiences, agreeableness, conscientiousness), asthma medication adherence, asthma control and perceived control of asthma. Relationships between asthma management factors and personality traits were examined using correlations and regression procedures. Results: A total of 77 surveys were returned from 94 enrolled participants. Significant relationships were found between personality traits and (i) adherence to asthma medications, and (ii) perceived control of asthma. Participants who scored high on the conscientiousness dimension of personality demonstrated higher adherence to their asthma medications. Women who scored low on the agreeableness dimension of personality and high on the neuroticism dimension had significantly lower perceived confidence and ability to manage their asthma. No statistically significant associations were found between asthma control and personality traits. Conclusions: Three of the five personality traits were found to be related to asthma management. Future research into the role of personality traits and asthma management will assist in the appropriate tailoring of interventional strategies to optimize the health of patients with asthma.     

Children outgrowing asthma: What are the odds,what are the facts?

It's every parent's hope, but can children who have asthma really outgrow it by the time they become adults?     

Does patient age influence the indications for investigating asympatomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome?

Sudden death may be the presenting symptom of a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Electrophysiological investigation is the best method of identifying high risk cases. The aim of this study was to determine whether this investigation should be proposed to all patients, irrespective of age. Transoesophageal stimulation was performed in 85 asymptomatic patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Of the 85 subjects, 13 were under 20 years of age, 30 under 30 years, 15 under 40 years, 16 under 50 years and 11 between 50 and 69 years of age. A protocol of incremental stimulation until 2nd degree AVB was attained and programmed atrial stimulation with one or two extrastimuli delivered on 2 paced cycles (600 and 400 ms) was used under basal conditions and with Isoprenaline. A malignant form of the condition was defined as the demonstration of two abnormalities: rapid conduction in the bundle of Kent (over 240/min) under basal conditions or over 300/min after Isoprenaline, and if it induced sustained atrial fibrillation (> 1 min). The results were: [table: see text] In conclusion, the number of malignant forms of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is exactly the same, irrespective of age. Elderly patients remain at risk of malignant WPW syndrome because of the increased incidence of atrial fibrillation. Therefore, the authors recommend systematic evaluation of this syndrome if the patient has an active life-style especially with regard to sporting activities.     

Is asthma a protective factor for dengue fever? In vitro experiment and nationwide population-based cohort analysis

BackgroundDengue fever (DF) is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease. Practical vaccines or specific therapeutics are still expected. Environmental factors and genetic factors affect the susceptibility of Dengue virus (DV) infection. Asthma is a common allergic disease, with house dust mites (HDMs) being the most important allergens. Asthmatic patients are susceptible to several microorganism infections.MethodsA nationwide population-based cohort analysis was designed to assess whether to determine whether asthma can be a risk factor for DF.ResultsUnexpectedly, our data from a nationwide population-based cohort revealed asthmatic patients are at a decreased risk of DF. Compared to patients without asthma, the hazard ratio (HR) for DF in patients with asthma was 0.166 (95% CI: 0.118–0.233) after adjustment for possible confounding factors. In the age stratification, the adjusted HR for DF in young adult patients with asthma was 0.063. Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) of dendritic cells (DCs) is an important entry for DV. Through another in vitro experiment, we found that HDM can diminish surface expression of DC-SIGN in monocyte-derived DCs and further decrease the cellular entry of DV.ConclusionsDecreased DC-SIGN expression in DCs of allergic asthmatic patient may be one of many factors for them to be protected against DF. This could implicate the potential for DC-SIGN modulation as a candidate target for designing therapeutic strategies for DF.     

Does the medical diagnosis of occupational asthma coincide with the legal diagnosis?

Objective: The incidence of occupational asthma (OA) is increasing worldwide. In this study, we first aimed to document the rate of diagnosis of OA among patients who were referred to our clinic from the Social Security Institution and the factors that affected diagnosis; secondly, we aimed to assess the consistency of the medical and legal diagnoses. Methods: The study involved 132 consecutive patients who were referred to our clinic for the evaluation of OA between 2010 and 2015. Detailed workplace history, the tools used in the diagnosis such as peak expiratory flow (PEF) monitoring and bronchial provocation tests, and the final medical diagnosis were recorded from case files. Results: Asthma was diagnosed in 75% (n = 99) of the patients. Among them, 22.2% were diagnosed as having OA. The diagnosis was confirmed by serial PEF measurements, non-specific bronchial hyperreactivity assessment or both of the tests both at work and off-work periods. OA diagnosis was mostly established in active workers (72.7%). The legal diagnosis period was completed in 54.5% of these 22 patients, and 50% (n = 11) were officially diagnosed as having OA with a 91.6% concordance with medical diagnosis. Conclusion: This study verifies the importance of diagnosing asthma correctly as a first step in the evaluation of OA. Diagnostic tests other than specific provocation tests could be preferential in patients who still work in the same field. We believe that cooperation with the patient's occupational physician and adequate recognition of the work environment will improve the consistency of legal and medical diagnoses.     

What's wrong with decision analysis? Can the left brain influence the right?

In order to gain insight into the impact that decision analysis has had on clinical practice, we presented a published report on the utility of renal biopsy for patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome to a group of nephrologists and residents at a teaching hospital. Although the analysis showed that the decision to biopsy or use empiric steroids without biopsy was a toss-up in terms of patient outcomes, only one of six staff nephrologists was willing to forego the biopsy strategy. Many clinicians in the group discussed the pure value of the information (e.g in making statements about prognosis) derived from the biopsy as an important factor in the choice of clinical strategies, a characteristic which was not captured by the published analysis. Also, some clinicians were uncomfortable with the entire simulation process as there were no "real patients" in the study. It appeared that clinical intuition based on pattern recognition could not be influenced by the linear logic of decision analysis. We suggest that major challenges for decision analysts include incorporating the value of information into analyses, selecting and cultivating the most appropriate clinical audience, and demonstrating the benefits of decision analysis for either the decision-making process or health outcomes. Without meeting these challenges, decision analysis may remain an esoteric field within academic medicine, which will continue to have limited impact on clinical practice.